Unguarded
by SpinalCoil
Summary: High school heiress Lucy Heartfilia asks violent delinquent and school outcast Natsu Dragneel to teach her self-defense. Lots of feisty teasing, flirtation, unnecessary (man)handling and heaps of heart-racing, nerve-snapping sexual tension ensue. Warning: protective gear may be required - nosebleeds/occasional bouts of heart failure expected. NaLu.
1. Birth (Part 1)

Special thanks to** Lolibeagle, **my beta reader for this story. I really appreciate you giving me feedback on this story. And OMG I had no idea how different British and American English were until now! I still love Brit Eng but it was really interesting to learn about the American version and I am looking forward to learning more.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover. If you haven't, you should check out her stuff. You definitely won't regret it. All her drawings are gorgeous!

**The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Please ****do not**** try any of this. If you are interested in self-defense training, please seek out ****formal classes****. I will be drawing on Krav Maga for this story. I won't use it exactly, but it's the style I know so that's what I'll draw from.**

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**Birth (Part 1)**

"Lucy! Hey Lucy! Are you even listening to us?" Levy McGarden asked, shaking her best friend slightly.

The beautiful blond next to Levy stirred restlessly in her seat and smiled at her friends.

The five girls at the picnic table had been friends since anyone at Fairy Academy could remember, but if you were to ask them, they'd tell you they didn't understand why the girls got along so well in the first place. They were completely different. Here's a summary of what a recent school newspaper article had to say about Fairy Academy's five 'girls'.

Blunette Levy was the 'smart girl'. Always topping her class and representing the school in whatever bee, fair, -athalon, or Olympiad the education department could think of to quiz kids with next! Honestly! No one knew why they even bothered; it was the same kids who took part in all of them anyway. Well, the good part was that, with Levy around, no one else had to bother about getting involved, or **participating**, as the overly enthusiastic literature teacher-in-training, Max, liked to emphasize.

Erza was the 'strict girl'; the class president who held rules, order and proper conduct above all else. How this girl managed to snag a boyfriend was the subject of widespread speculation. But the prevailing opinion was that the school's resident 'thinker', Jellal Fernandez, was so caught up in trying to win his one man pro brooding tournament that he didn't actually know he was in a 'functioning' relationship with the striking, but very-likely-to-strike-you-unconscious, redhead.

So Erza takes this one? Well, the jury's still out on that one.

Brunette Cana was the 'party girl'. How Erza and Cana managed to co-exist in the same longitude, much less the same zip code, boggled even academic minds. No, seriously. Findings from the most recent study were inconclusive, so I guess you can say the jury's still out on that one too. Cana was usually one of two things: at a party, or recovering from a party. Sometimes she would wake up from a hangover to talk about parties, but most times she would just show up at them. Well, it wasn't like she had to be carried out, so, have at it girl!

Then there was Juvia. Ah Juvia! Now Juvia's a special case; a basket case. But for the sake of consistency and pseudo-literary finesse, let's call her the 'fan girl'. Juvia was the living marriage of apparently inconceivable extremes: timid and brazen. The same shy girl who had difficulty maintaining even a simple conversation with her friends, openly stalked and verbally - and sometimes not so verbally - assaulted one particularly unfortunate member of the student body (and, just to say, what a body!): Gray Fullbuster.

Lastly, there was Lucy Heartfilia, a.k.a. the 'rich girl'. Daughter of one of the richest men in Fiore, Lucy was an heiress and that meant she was untouchable. Not because her father carried his Smith and Wesson 9mm wherever he went, of course not, never, but because the fine glass princess of Fairy Academy was proud, stuck up and high-maintenance.

Sure, she was hot, they all were, but no teenage boy alive would come near the Fine Five, unless of course he didn't know about it.

Good job there Erza! The win apparently goes to you for sheer ingenious.

Now, it probably doesn't need to be said, but the students' opinions of the five weren't exactly unbiased. Teenage minds are nothing if not active and imaginative, sometimes downright venomous. But their opinions do help us to understand a bit about the world the girls live in.

Today, the group was sitting on the picnic benches in the school courtyard enjoying the wonderful feel of the early summer sun on their dry, cracked, winter-worn skin. It had been a particularly brutal winter and everyone was glad to see it gone and to welcome the happy, outdoorsy days of summer!

"Yeah, of course I'm listening" Lucy answered Levy in an overly enthusiastic voice, twirling her fork anxiously between her slim, nimble fingers. "We were talking about the concert next month and I said I'm in."

Erza opened her mouth to respond but before a sound could escape, Cana banged her hand loud on the wooden table, getting the attention of even the people in the surrounding tables – not that Cana noticed or minded much.

"That was 10 minutes ago!" she said. "What's going on Lucy? You've been distracted all week. I know something's going on. Come on, spill."

The others looked at Lucy eagerly, waiting for an answer. Well, Cana was slightly more demanding than eager, really.

"Nothing's up, I swear" the blond defended, "I just promised dad I would help him out with something."

The others winced at that.

"Exactly!" Lucy continued. "Since when have you known dad to talk to me, much less ask me for help? Hell, when was the last time I even saw dad even though we live in the same house? The whole thing's just been a little weird, that's all."

Her friends nodded as Lucy explained her troubles. None of them asked anymore about it. Every now and then Lucy was required to accompany her father on business galas, banquets and other events that concerned The Heartfilia Konzern. It was all formality and etiquette and her friends knew how hard it was for Lucy who had always been neglected but who, as she grew older, had been feeling more and more like one of her father's tools than his daughter.

"Don't worry Lucy," Erza said supportively. "You've been trained for this. Just follow the proper protocol and say whatever your coach tells you and everything will be fine. You just have to get through it."

"Yeah" Lucy responded distractedly. As much as she enjoyed jumping predictably through the decorated hoops of high society like some trained animal, this time, nothing Lyra had ever taught her could help her.

Her eyes wandered once again to the grassy mound across the picnic tables. Sitting alone under a tree, dressed in brown camouflage trousers and a military green T-shirt, was Natsu Dragneel. If the girls were avoided at school because they were 'exceptional', Natsu was avoided because he was dangerous.

Rumor had it that his dad was in some highly classified, doesn't even exist on the books, top secret division of the military.

Everyone knew that Natsu lived alone. Some of the kids in school had been with him since kindergarten, but none of them remembered his dad. He was apparently deployed on some international mission years ago and no one had seen him since. Most people suspected that he was still alive since someone was obviously providing for the boy and keeping him in school, but, by latest count, most reckoned that Natsu's old man had been gone for more than ten years.

In his dad's absence Natsu 'loose cannon' Dragneel immersed himself in all things military. It was said that he knew at least 4 different kinds of martial arts. He came to school when he wanted and attended class even less. On days when he did come to school tension was always high, especially when he walked down the halls. Nobody wanted to piss him off or even look at him the wrong way. He had a short fuse - and a killer left hook. Really. That's not hyperbole. It could kill you. Even the teachers avoided him. Word on the grapevine was that he growled so threateningly at one teacher, the man had to take a week off to recover.

Almost everything about Natsu survived in whispers and suspicion. No one knew anything about what he did when he wasn't in school. And most didn't want to know.

Lucy took a deep breath.

_'Short fuse', 'loose cannon', 'freak', 'loner', whatever they call you, you're probably my only hope now_, Lucy thought as she looked at the stray boy eating his lunch and listening to music, the whole grassy mound and the space around it given over to him alone.

§§§

Lucy stood awkwardly over Natsu who was reclining against the tree, his eyes closed, listening to music. Everyone had gone inside for the afternoon classes. She'd remained in the courtyard to talk to the one boy who definitely wouldn't be going to class. His headphones were huge but she could still hear the guitars grating through them.

She called his name but he didn't respond.

_Of course he wouldn't hear you_! she chided herself.

She exhaled a frustrated puff as she stooped next to him, preparing herself for what she knew she had to do next.

_He better not have any touch issues_! she thought silently. _I may not always like my head, but I prefer it where it is_.

Balancing precariously on the balls of her feet Lucy leaned forward to touch Natsu's shoulder.

Before her hand could reach him however, she stopped.

Lucy had always largely ignored Natsu. Not because she thought he was scary, but because she didn't really have any reason to pay attention to him. Sure, sometimes he attracted attention, but Lucy wouldn't give the loudmouth the satisfaction of hers.

So Lucy had seen Natsu around school before and knew what he looked like.

But the Natsu she was looking at now wasn't anything like the Natsu she'd seen around school.

And it was interesting.

His tan skin and pink hair were the same as they always were. But his features had changed considerably. Relaxed and content like this the boy looked like a different person. Softer, kinder, and, even though Lucy's conscious mind didn't say it, her unconscious mind screamed it – handsome!

Unable to control herself Lucy let her eyes slowly drift down the boy's full, broad shoulders and arms, and down his toned chest and rugged stomach.

_Whoa! He's seriously fit!_ Lucy's right brain exclaimed, momentarily entering Juvia-mode.

_Of course he's fit_, her left brain challenged, _he's a martial arts expert! This is why you're here. Focus girl!_

But Lucy's right brain was having none of that.

This was nice.

Like really nice.

Like creamy ice-cream on a hot day nice; everything just bursting with flavor!

Like you just have to have it; you have to wrap your lips around it and feel its sweet, refreshing coolness surging through you, exciting you down to the tips of your limbs in one tasty bite.

There are few fundamental truths in this world. But if there is one that is relevant for us today, it is that there's nothing in this world that can stop the force of a teenage girl in desperate need of some ice-cream.

In that moment, unfortunately for Lucy, she entered full-on Juvia mode. And one must never go full-on Juvia!

As if in a slow, hazy dream Lucy's body took over; her rational, conscious mind now but a mere ant to be stomped on by her instincts. All she could see were the deep ridges lining Natsu's stomach where his T-shirt fell and raised oh-so-perfectly, and the rock hard chest pushing against the loose fabric, that, from her angle, fit just right.

She allowed her eyes to glide further up, to his face, to take in that peaceful, relaxed expression once more. It was a good thing that the little ant that was her consciousness was still alive, only just barely, but enough to remind her to stifle her gasp. The boy looked even more beautiful now than before.

He was slightly flushed and his features held a tint of fiery life, even through his peace.

_Oh my celestial beings in the heavens, he's gorgeous!_

Lucy unknowingly lifted her hand again and reached out to the boy.

If you asked her later she would say that she had to touch him, to see if he was real, or if everything was just a dream. But that's not entirely true. Lucy's body was moving on its own. Doing what it wanted. Lucy had no control over what its intentions were. She was just the puppet of her instincts.

When her fingers were just centimeters from his face, one of the boy's eyes popped open and regarded her with an amused expression.

Lucy huffed mentally. The touch she now wanted so badly was interrupted again.

"And just what exactly do you think you're doing, princess?" the boy asked, aiming for annoyed but sounding more interested than he'd wanted to let on.

In an instant the dream popped and Lucy had to face the embarrassing, ugly reality of what her primal urges had done.

_Dang it!_

She quickly jerked her hand away and turned from the boy so he couldn't see her burning face.

With all the pride she could muster, Lucy raised her head, still unable to face him and answered. "I was trying to get your attention. I called out to you but you didn't answer. So..." Lucy allowed her voice to trail off since the rest seemed obvious.

The boy's second eye opened at this.

"When someone ignores you, that's your cue to leave" he said, the irritation he wanted finally entering his voice.

"So wait, you heard me?"

"Of course I heard you. I could hear you coming up all the way from over there," he said nodding towards the middle of the knoll.

"So why didn't you just answer me when I called you?" Lucy asked, turning to him finally, skillfully keeping the conversation away from her shady doings with his evidently not sleeping body.

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"You're not very smart, are you?" he pitched, emphasizing his words again, "**When someone ignores you, that's your cue to leave."**

"Why would you ignore me when you don't even know why I'm here?" she threw back, surprised by his rudeness.

He raised an eyebrow at her. Surely, she knew who he was. Everyone knew. He'd made it clear every day that he came to school that he preferred to be alone, that he didn't want the shallow, self-righteous company of others.

But not only did she have the impudence to approach him and disturb him but she also thought that she could use that tone with him. Natsu hated people like her the most; people who felt that the world belonged to them and they could move the pieces around according to their whim.

Still, his usual rancor at being disturbed didn't seem to rise today. Maybe it was because she'd surprised him with her sheer nerve. No one ever approached him willingly.

Natsu looked down at the girl's body, her loose arms, her legs tucked innocently under her body. Next, he moved his eyes over her face. Natsu couldn't exactly place her expression. It was curious, almost questioning. He could make out some eagerness too. But there was something else there, something Natsu couldn't place. What it was didn't really matter. What mattered was that her expressions were all openly displayed.

_She's completely defenseless_, he noted immediately. _This chick's not scared of me at all!_ The realization was both interesting and troubling. He immediately went on the attack.

"You've got some nerve, princess. I think I've made it perfectly clear that l like to be alone. Let me assure you, I'm not like the other people around here. I don't give a damn who your daddy is, you can't command me around like I'm one of your servants."

Instead of recoiling from the abuse the girl looked at him expectantly.

"So you know who I am?" she asked.

Natsu was flummoxed by the girl's ease and what she chose to focus on.

_What the hell! This girl would probably walk right into a Lion's open mouth carrying raw, meaty treats. Doesn't she have any sense of danger?_

Somewhere deep inside him, in a dark pool of his subconscious, a part of Natsu that was fast asleep stirred, and groggily opened a weary but curious eye.

An electric spark went through the living boy at the awakening, his nerves signaling its birth to the unprepared boy. Natsu was wildly intrigued by the sharp surge he felt charging through his body, but he elected to ignore it, bury it for now, while he concentrated on what was important.

First rule of self-defense: act, don't react.

"Of course I know who you are. Not like I care any. Everyone just knows," he threw at her.

"Why are you being like that? I just came here to talk to you" Lucy countered, heat now rising at being spoken to so rudely when she was being nothing but nice and...em...somewhat respectful.

Now, Natsu did a mental double-take. He'd been trained to hide his emotions but this girl was pushing him.

_She came here to talk? Of her own free will?_ Natsu eyed her with obvious distrust, but now he couldn't lie, he really wanted to know why she was there. What could give the girl that much courage that she'd come up to him on her own, defenseless and unafraid?

_This is new_, Natsu reasoned with himself, _and it's important to know all the enemy's faces and tricks. This would be a good lesson_.

"Okay fine. Let's have it. What do you want, princess?" he asked coldly, adding a loud, frustrated grunt at the end to further camouflage his building intrigue.

Still, there was no visible flinch or reaction from the girl.

_This girl's crafty_, he thought as she stood up from her crouched position, folded her arms and regarded him seriously.

Natsu maintained his relaxed, casual position on the tree, as he raised his eyes to meet her face. It wasn't like this frail girl could hurt him.

"I wanted to ask you to teach me some self-defense," she blurted out confidently. She'd practiced the words so many times; she couldn't get them wrong now that she was finally there.

Now Natsu's expression turned stern.

Natsu took his martial arts very seriously. For him it was about mental and physical balance, discipline, concentration and hard training. It had required years of grueling work, frustration and determination for him to hone his skills and become who he was. And he was still learning and growing every day. He wasn't about to let some superficial, pampered kitty looking for a temporary diversion from her boring life disrespect the thing he prized most; the only thing, these days.

"No" he said shortly and closed his eyes, shutting her out once more.

Lucy was dumfounded. She couldn't believe he'd rejected her so easily. He didn't even ask her anything.

She looked down at him and saw the familiar expression, the one everyone saw. The only face everyone, including her until today, had ever seen. But now Lucy wasn't moved by it. She'd seen what lay on the other side of that face and trusted it. She didn't think she could ever be afraid of it, so she pushed on.

She plopped down next to him again and leaned over so she was facing him directly.

"You didn't even ask anything. You just said 'no'. That's unfair. Please" she said in a direct, straightforward tone. "I'm a good student. I'll listen and I won't second guess you. I'll trust what you say. I'll wax on/wax off, climb stairs, balance mantis-style, carry rocks, plough the land, rake the sand, break the bricks, drink the ale, whatever! I'll do whatever you ask me to do, Natsu, however ludicrous it sounds. I know you can help me. Everyone says you're the best."

Now, Natsu was glad that his eyes were closed so she couldn't see him mentally cracking up. _I don't think there's a movie cliché that she missed_, he said to himself.

Even though he thought she was funny, in the back of his mind, Natsu was disappointed. Somewhere, he'd wanted her to be serious. This was exactly why he wouldn't help her. The minute things got hard she'd drop it. It wasn't worth his time.

"Look princess-" Natsu started.

"It's **Lucy**, not 'princess'. I was polite and respectful enough to call you by your name. Can't you show me the same courtesy?" Lucy demanded.

Natsu pushed the memory from his mind. He didn't want to think about the strange way he'd felt when she'd said his name. It was weirdly disarming.

"I never asked you to use my name. What is it you guys say? 'Loose cannon'? That works fine."

"I never called you 'loose cannon' and I never would. You may be surprised, **hothead**, but I've never had cause to think of you until this week" Lucy challenged, just about tired of this routine. "Now, will you help me or not? I'm serious. I'll be...obedient."

Natsu looked up at her. She did seem serious.

"No. Wait, sorry. No, **princess**. There are tons of schools around, go ask them. I'm sure they'll be happy for some Heartfilia money," Natsu retorted.

This time, Lucy reacted. Natsu watched as the sharp, spunky, confidence left her eyes and she allowed her gaze to fall.

"I-I can't go to one of those places" she responded lightly fingering the grass beneath her. "I- I can't let my dad find out about this. He'd...oppose it."

This time Natsu was stirred by the desperation creeping into her voice and the dark, frail look that hung over her. He'd finally found her Achilles' heel, but he didn't like it one bit. He liked the fierceness. It was refreshing. He was actually tempted to taunt her a bit so he could see it some more. But like this, he couldn't.

"Please Natsu," Lucy begged, for real this time. She looked up at him, her big, brown eyes shining with hope.

Natsu had spent years strengthening his body and preparing for battles of all kinds, mental and physical, but her tender, trembling, yearning voice shredded through all his training in an instant. He sat there, under that formidable tree, shell-shocked and naked. It had been a long time since he'd felt so defenseless.

In her crouched shadow, Natsu was just a boy.

He quickly grabbed his things and stood up. He needed to regroup and strategize for this new kind of opponent.

"Once and for all, no" he said with finality before walking off. Old man Makarov's boring science class was definitely better than staying here. Maybe he'd go to literature class afterwards as well. It'd been a while since he'd last growled at Max. The young teacher needed a refresher course. Natsu smiled thinking about it.

_Maybe this time we can check to see if the rumors about the broom are true_, he thought, grinning wickedly.

He refused to look back at Lucy sitting alone and dejected on the low mound as he walked off.

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**A/N**: Yay! New SpinalCoil fluff! Now let me just say, this will be short. I mean four quick chapters short. So don't miss it.

Now, some possibly not-so-happy news for those of you following Fairy Tail Country Club. This story is so short I want to get it done quickly, so you might have to wait just _a little_ longer for the next Country Club update. But then, you've got this yummy little story in the meantime. So...*puss-in-boots eyes*...we make the peace?

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this. I'd really, really appreciate it and it'd help me out a lot.

Okay! Thanks for giving this story a chance guys! Bye!


	2. Birth (Part 2)

Massive thanks to** Lolibeagle, **my beta reader for this story, for checking this and making sure everything is where it should be.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover.

**The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not try any of this. If you are interested in self-defense training, please seek out formal classes. I will be drawing on Krav Maga for this story. I won't use it exactly, but it's the style I know so that's what I'll draw from.**

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**A/N:** Hi! I just wanted to say sorry if I confused anyone in the beginning of the last chapter. I was trying something new and it seems I failed. I wasn't trying to describe 5 girls in the beginning. I was trying to show the world the girls live in. I wanted to show that world from the inside in a funny way that also shows its superficiality. The way gossip uses differences to exclude, snub and have fun; how it defines others in small spaces. That description was supposed to show the shallow, self-righteous world that Natsu rejects (and uses!). But it was also supposed to suggest that Natsu might not be as different from that group of girls as we might see at first glance. We just need to focus on the similarities that bind, not the differences that separate – that's the starting point of the story! *BOWS* Sorry I failed so massively to get it across. But I've learnt something from the mistake, so thanks so much for letting me know! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 2: Birth (Part 2)**

Lucy walked up to Natsu's door with resilience and determination. The rude, annoying brat didn't come to school that day. Not that Lucy was surprised. But she wasn't about to give up that easily. She would get him to say yes. Whatever it took. Being the daughter of Jude Heartfilia did have its perks, and accessing people's 'personal' information was far from difficult for her.

She had to admit, though, she was surprised by where he lived. Really, an old, quaint, English-styled cottage at the edge of the woods didn't seem to match the hothead at all.

She'd also expected silence and stillness when she got to the door, something suited to his cold, wry, reclusive persona, so the loud, rumbling laughter and enthusiastic shouting that she heard inside caught her off-guard.

_This is new_, she thought as she knocked on the door, _I can't imagine him laughing and having fun like a normal person_.

"Finally Laxus is here with the pizzas," Lucy heard a rough, muffled voice say from somewhere behind the heavy wooden doors.

"Since when do you knock? Come on Laxus! We're in the living room," he heard Natsu yell.

Lucy thought about it for half a second before opening the door.

_Whoa! Now this I can imagine_, she said to herself once she stepped into the floor-to-ceiling mess that was the interior of Natsu's house.

From somewhere within the rubble a small cat crept out and rubbed against her legs. Lucy looked down and picked the friendly little creature up and scratched him under his neck. He purred happily in her hands, rubbing and pressing his face affectionately into them.

_You're so adorable_, Lucy squealed mentally, scratching the little guy as she followed the voices to the living room where Natsu and some scary-looking, dark-haired dude with piercings everywhere were playing a videogame.

The guy looked up at her standing in the doorway and nudged Natsu pointedly, nodding in her direction.

Natsu looked up at her, surprise clouding his features briefly. He sighed before going back to his game.

"I thought I got rid of you yesterday princess," he said dryly, aiming his character's arrow at the tiny, almost indiscernible slit between the enemy's helmet and his body armor. Lucy waited for Natsu to release the arrow and miss his target before responding.

She'd played this game before. She knew the heavily armored guy, the last in the wave of enemies Natsu had to face, would come looking for him after that shot. Natsu's character needed to stay hidden until the enemy gave up. That would give her the chance she needed. Unless Natsu wanted to re-play the entire mission, he really wouldn't be going anywhere.

Lucy walked up to the sofa and gestured to piercy.

"Hi, I'm Lucy" she said pleasantly, ignoring Natsu for the moment. Piercy grunted a barely audible "Gajeel", before getting up and heading in the direction of the horror that passed for a kitchen in that house.

"You know, I'm pretty sure this is illegal" Natsu grumbled eventually, still staring at the heavily armored guy on the TV screen walking around muttering trash while the hero crouched safely in the bushes right beside him.

"You invited me in," Lucy tossed back.

"No. I invited Laxus in" Natsu clarified. "Where the hell is that guy with the pizzas anyway?" he muttered as an afterthought.

"Laxus? Me? You said 'come on', the person at the door complied. It'd hold up in any court. I'm sure of it. But" Lucy continued slyly, a touch of playful mischief tinting her voice, "if you want to play hardball, I could call our lawyers right now and ask them."

It was just a ghost of a sound, a faint tease, but it was enough to reawaken that strange, electrifying feeling the girl had sparked in Natsu the day before.

Natsu looked up and eyed the feline resting comfortably in the blonde's pale, slender arms.

"Traitor!" he hissed at the cat, before looking at Lucy directly. "What are you doing here princess? I already told you I won't train you."

"Train you?" Gajeel repeated as he came back into the room, tall beer bottles in hand. "You want to learn martial arts?" he asked scanning her up and down, then up again, slowly this time, his eyes floating over her curvaceous legs, full hips, and small waist, eventually landing comfortably on the girl's hefty, pleasing chest.

_I do have a face you know_! Lucy thought hotly, conveniently forgetting her shameless, candy-coated stare-fest with Natsu's body just the day before.

It was only when a faint "gee hee" escaped the pincushion's lips that Lucy decided that she'd had enough. Before she could deck him though, Natsu grabbed Gajeel's arm and forced him back on the sofa next to him.

"Down boy!" he dropped casually before turning back to his game. "And the answer is still no" he threw to Lucy as he leveled his arrow for the next shot.

Now Lucy couldn't stand it anymore. _This_ was just downright ridiculous!

She quickly put the cat on Natsu's lap and snatched the controller from him before he could draw his arrow. Natsu didn't take it from her. Her long, delicate fingers moving expertly over the buttons caught his attention and swayed his interest. He folded his arms and leaned back on the soft, leather sofa. He allowed his eyes to stray up to the girl's face, taking in her finely-spun, concentrated profile.

This time, in the relative safety of his house, he allowed himself to admit it.

_She really is very pretty._

A loud boom followed by the 'new trophy received' sound effect snapped Natsu back to reality. He turned to the television and saw the game saving.

He felt the controller land next to him and looked over to Gajeel who was just staring at the screen.

Now, to those who didn't know him, pincushion was just gaping. But to those privileged few in the know, those who actually spoke some fragment of 'Gajeelian', Gajeel Redfox was laughing hysterically.

Natsu glanced up at Lucy who was wearing a smug, satisfied smirk. Before he could make the wry comment that Lucy knew was coming, he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway.

"Did blondie there just use an RPG launcher to take down a man?"

Lucy turned and saw an older blond guy walking into the room. His arms were filled with pizza boxes.

_That's probably Laxus_, Lucy thought eyeing him gratefully. He was, after all, the reason she got in there.

"Until hothead over here gains some more skills, it's the least painful option. Better than that damn bow and arrow, even I don't have that much patience," Lucy retorted as the guy walked past. He gave her a brief nod as he passed.

"Nice rack," he complimented easily as he made his way to the small coffee table that doubled as an ottoman.

"Thanks" she responded just as nonchalantly. She liked this guy. At least he was polite enough to compliment a lady and not stare at her like she was dessert.

The actual irony of that sentence still wasn't obvious to Lucy.

Natsu only groaned and got up from his seat. Turning, he grabbed Lucy's arm and led her outside.

"Hey! Slow down! Hey! Stop!" she yelled at him as he pulled her along, but Natsu didn't give in.

"You guys are like vultures," he yelled back into the house as he yanked the girl over the threshold and out of the house, securing the door behind them.

Finally, he turned to face her.

"Thanks for coming. It was a real pleasure having you," Natsu said shortly, now consciously feigning irritation with her. Not only was she thick-skinned with him yesterday, but she'd managed to maintain her cool with those two normally corrosive, off-putting dragons inside. And she did launch an explosive rocket at a single man. Sure, he was digital and covered in armor, but still, that's some twisted, aggressive logic. Natsu was beginning to think that maybe Lucy Heartfilia wasn't such a princess after all.

But it wasn't like he was going to admit it openly, much less to her.

"Please don't hurt yourself on your way home," Natsu ordered, shoving her slightly and turning back towards the door.

Now Natsu knew deep down that he really didn't want the spunky blond to leave. Her bold feistiness was, in fact, mildly refreshing to be around, and if she hadn't followed him home like some creepy stalker he might have even gone as far as to call her borderline entertaining. Still, the heaviness that overcame Natsu as he turned his back on the girl that provoked him and irritated him in ways that no one else ever had, was completely unexpected. And when the girl grabbed his arm and yanked him towards her it was impossible for him to deny the overwhelming relief that flooded his body.

He turned to see her looking at him intently, her wide, spirited eyes firm and challenging.

He met her gaze, just as steady and challenging. No way was he going to let some princess beat him in an epic stare down, especially on his front porch.

This time, though, watching her, he allowed his guard to go down. He didn't really know why he let it. His body just dropped it, instinct encouraging him in the direction of the warmth and thrill he felt with this girl when it was down.

"Listen, hothead. I'll pay you, alright?" Lucy said, finally playing her trump card. "And not some petty sum either. We're talking good cash here. Enough to clean this dump up and set yourself up pretty sweet."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, giving in to the intrigue and the wicked temptation to tease her. Whether she gave up training on the first try or after facing a few obstacles didn't seem to matter so much now. She was beginning to convince him that she was at least very serious about trying. She wasn't treating it superficially and that was enough for Natsu.

Stifling back the grin that was just on his lips, Natsu summoned a low, indignant tone.

"You think you can buy me, princess? You think I'm for sale like those other pretty things you own?" Natsu served in the most heated voice he could muster.

"Oh please Dragneel" Lucy shot back, "don't you think for a second that I'd ever classify you with the _pretty_ things I own."

"Oh, so you're admitting that you think you'll own me?"

Lucy closed her mouth with a loud clash of her teeth. He'd definitely surprised her.

In her silence, Natsu charged ahead, "Besides, that's not what it looked like yesterday under the tree. I'd say you were definitely appreciating the goods." Natsu smiled inwardly. He got this.

Lucy's patience burst at that.

_That jerk!_

"You jerk!" she started, openly yelling now, whether from anger or embarrassment Natsu wasn't sure. With his guard down he wasn't paying too much attention, he was just enjoying the show. "First of all, as long as I'm paying, I do own you, hothead. And secondly, I was not _appreciating _the goods, I was _quality checking_ them. I had to know if you were the real deal or not. I _am_ investing a lot of effort in this after all. I can't just go on public hearsay."

Natsu couldn't lie, that revelation disappointed him slightly.

"Well, none of it matters anyway because I'm _still _not helping you," Natsu flung back, his stubbornness and determination to win getting the better of him. "I don't need your money, princess! No one owns me."

_Dammit!_ Lucy scolded herself. _Couldn't you just hold yourself back for once? We need this guy!_

_What do we do now?_ Right brain asked.

_I have no idea. We should smooth this situation over_, left brain answered.

_How? There's no way I'm apologizing. He insinuated that I was checking him out!_ Right brain said stubbornly.

_You were checking him out_, left brain reasoned.

_No I was ju-_

_Don't even try to defend yourself_, left brain interrupted. _I tried to stop you but you just did what you wanted anyway_.

"Would you guys just shut up for a minute and let me think?" Lucy shouted holding her head in her hands.

Natsu was looking on, amusement clear on his face. The verdict was in: Lucy Heartfilia was definitely no princess.

"If you're going to lose it, please don't do it on my porch" Natsu deadpanned, not taking his eyes off her.

Lucy raised her eyes to look at him. Even with his guard down Natsu knew that look. He'd seen it many, many times in his opponents, right before he won.

Surrender.

"I'm sor-" Lucy started before Natsu interrupted her.

"I don't want to hear it!" Natsu said honestly.

"Bu-"

"Shh!" Natsu barked aggressively, silencing her. "I'm going to ask you what you wanted me to ask you yesterday before I blew you off. Now I want the truth. I'd be able to tell if you're lying. Got that?"

Lucy nodded obediently. She was glad that he was willing to at least listen to her now.

"Why do you want to learn self-defense?"

There was a long pause while Lucy formulated her answer. With his guard now back up Natsu could tell that she was uncomfortable with the topic.

"I- I can't tell you," Lucy answered plainly.

Natsu could feel the storm build up in him. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

_This girl is impossible!_

"Listen princess, you're really not giving me any reason to help you out here" Natsu reasoned.

"I know," Lucy said frankly, nervously meeting his dark eyes with her warm chocolate ones. "But you'll just have to trust me. I know I haven't given you any reason to, but I really can't tell you. But I _am_ serious and I will stick to everything I said yesterday. I'll listen. I promise. Please."

For the first time, Natsu observed her closely.

He noticed the invisible but heavy weight that pressed down her on her eyelids, pushing them down slightly. The brown eyes that were sparkling and enflamed just moments before had lost all their color and life. He watched as her gaze anxiously moved to meet his and then just as quickly pulled away to focus on something behind him. He noted her rapidly clenching and unclenching jaw and accelerated breathing, almost like small gasps. Moving down, he saw that her hands were now wrapped protectively around her body while her fingers dug slightly into her pale white arms. Her right foot was on top of her left one and was bouncing on it erratically. A nervous habit, he deduced.

_She's unconsciously making herself smaller. Protecting herself from something._

When he added all that to the shaky, broken tone she used when she spoke to him, Natsu realized that his question had triggered her fear response.

_Shit!_ Natsu scolded himself. _Why didn't I notice it before? This girl's in trouble. Real trouble. Not the regular teenage girl type trouble. Adult trouble. Dangerous trouble. That would explain why her dad can't find out about this._

Lucy watched as Natsu reflected on her words. She saw his solid expression suddenly turn grave. She watched as he played different ideas over in his head, none of which seemed to make him the least bit happy. She realized then that he really didn't have any reason to help her. He wouldn't take her money and she couldn't let him in on what was going on. This really was hopeless.

"I see. I get it now" she said softly, dejectedly. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Natsu. I really am. I was being really presumptuous. I was just so sure you'd help. I don't know why, but I just knew it. I just believed you would. I'm sorry."

With that, she turned on her heels and ran off in the direction of town, frantic thoughts of what she would do next running through her mind.

Before she got off the property though, two massive arms clamped hard around her and pulled her back, wrapping her tightly against a warm, hard body.

Lucy screamed and struggled furiously against the massive, powerful arms. She wasn't going to let this happen. Not again.

She lifted her leg and slammed her heel down hard on her assailant's foot. She heard the guy let out a pained scream before he loosened his grip on her. She drew her hand up gathering as much force and momentum as she could and rammed her elbow hard into his stomach. She heard him cough loudly before he let her go, giving her the opportunity to escape.

She ran hard, but it wasn't long before he was behind her again. He grabbed her arm, but this time he called her name.

"Lucy!"

She stopped struggling as she heard the familiar voice and turned to see Natsu holding onto her arm, a pained look on his face.

"Shoot! Natsu! I'm so sorry" she exclaimed, realization suddenly hitting her. "Does it hurt a lot?" she asked touching his stomach lightly.

Now, Lucy was sorry. She was. But, even though she was sorry, and even though she was still a bit shaken from the whole startling ordeal, her body wouldn't let her deny the wonderful feeling beneath her fingers. Human instinct is a weird thing like that: it could be a funny mixture of sour, sweet and inappropriate at the same time. She allowed her fingers to linger lightly on his stomach taking in the wonderful warm feeling growing inside her at the touch, and fighting the terrible urge to press her fingers even deeper into his shirt.

_Why do I feel so safe here?_ She wondered, allowing her mind to wander back a few seconds to when she was in his arms. It was crushing and terrifying at the time, but now that she knew it was Natsu, her memory refused to categorize the hold as anything but sheltered, protective, secure.

"N- no, it doesn't hurt," Natsu answered, looking away from her, trying hard not to look down at the hand still resting on his stomach. The boy had never felt a softer touch in his life. In fact, nothing he had ever felt had ever come close to such a touch before. But still, as light as it was, it shook him as if he had been punched or slapped by some enormous hand. No. That's not true. Natsu would have preferred if it had been a hit, because that he knew how to deal with. This...this had set him immeasurably off-balance. It was like a hit, but it wasn't anything like a hit at all.

"You just caught me off-guard, that's all."

Lucy appeared shaken by that and allowed her hand to fall.

"Oh. I'm still sorry" Lucy answered, distracted.

_He still caught me_.

Natsu eyed her carefully. He knew what she was thinking.

"You surprised me," he told her, pulling himself together. Needless to say, he was more than a little relieved to move the situation over to solid ground. "That's good. People won't expect that from you. The element of surprise is important and it can determine the outcome of a fight."

He paused as she raised her uncertain eyes to meet his.

"But you've got to follow through."

He sighed loudly, resignedly. He took her slim arms firmly in his hands and looked down at her.

"These" he said shaking her arms emphatically, "these are your weapons, your arms and your legs. Defend, attack to disable, and _then_ you run."

There was a long silence as Lucy took in this new information. When she looked up at Natsu again, he continued, explaining his statement.

"You hit me pretty hard just now and you managed to distract me, but I wasn't disabled. I can still come after you. And now I'm pissed. And you're in even deeper trouble because you showed me your back; you're now more at risk because you've got no defenses. You can't see your opponent and you can't use your weapons easily. Plus, the guy knows you're a pain in the ass now so he's more on guard with you. Keep attacking, don't give your assailant the chance to regroup and attack you again. Keep moving and attacking. Be quick. Keep distracting and confusing him with your attacks until you get an opportunity to deliver a disabling blow."

Natsu noticed Lucy was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"That doesn't sound very...I don't know...um...zen?"

"That's not advice to win a martial arts tournament. I'm telling you what you need to know to survive a real street fight. Tournaments have rules, you can plan. Real life is unexpected and doesn't work with rules."

Natsu raised his hands and touched her temples lightly, more gently than he'd anticipated he would. "It's all already up here." He let his fingers slide down to her exposed chest and tapped it with his index and middle fingers, "and in here."

He noticed her heartbeat speed up and drum hard against his fingers as they rested there. He couldn't deny that his was racing just a bit too.

Realizing that he may have crossed a line, Natsu withdrew his hand and refocused on the issue.

"A lot of the techniques I'll show you use the instinctive ways our bodies respond to external threats. We've got generations of knowledge locked up in our genes. We just have to access them and train our bodies and minds to use them to _act_ in unexpected situations. With the right training and discipline all of these things become more natural for us."

There was a long pause while Lucy took in all of this.

"So you will help me?" she asked slowly, careful not to anger him by seeming presumptuous again.

Natsu laughed openly this time. He thought it was pretty obvious by now.

"Yes. Though, based on before, it seems you already have the right instincts for this."

_I'm not really sure I want to know why_, Natsu thought, new-found respect and burning affection for the girl mingling inside him.

"We'll build on that wild instinct of yours; refine and hone it into tools and skills you can draw on in different situations to protect yourself."

Lucy was looking at him with grateful eyes and Natsu felt a sudden urge to comfort the girl.

"Don't worry, princess," he said in response, "you don't have to pay me. I refuse to be owned by anyone, especially an arrogant, irritating little rich girl like you."

Lucy's jaws dropped as the sinister, abrasive hothead returned.

_Was that a growl?_ Natsu wondered as he heard the low, rumbling sound she emitted. He raised an eyebrow. _This is going to be very interesting indeed_.

"I'm just interested in that natural instinct of yours" he provoked, "I've never seen it before. I'd like to be the one who gets to shape it."

"Oh, you really are a jerk!" Lucy spat at him, hitting him hard across his arm.

"No, no." Natsu corrected pointedly. "It's: 'oh, you really are a jerk, _sensei_.'"

"Argh!" Lucy growled, openly this time, "yes, sorry about that, _sensei_," Lucy said through gritted teeth. "Thank you very much for offering your _kind_ assistance. It is very gratefully received." With that Lucy turned, ready to storm off.

"Oh princess?" Natsu called cheekily after her.

Lucy huffed and turned around.

"Yes?"

_Dammit! I can't believe he got me to respond to that!_ Lucy fumed internally.

"Uh uh," Natsu reprimanded.

Lucy took a deep, frustrated breath.

"Yes, _sensei_?" she forced out reluctantly.

"Tomorrow, after school, right here. Bring snacks, and meat...and some fish for Happy. He likes fish."

"Happy?"

"The cat."

"Riight," Lucy concluded sarcastically as she turned and resumed her trek home, stopping once to look back at Natsu, traces of a warm, thankful smile gracing her lips.

"See you then, princess" Natsu whispered to her retreating back.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

* * *

**A/N** In case anyone wants to know, Natsu and Gajeel were playing Far Cry 3 (incidentally not rated T).

**Unguarded is spawning**: Demontailedfox released one of his/her unfinished stories as an OVA to this story, sort of what Natsu's life might have been like up to the events in Unguarded. Some details aren't the same, but there are connections and I think it's really good, the language and writing style is beautiful IMO, so check it out if you've got time. It's called 'Unguarded - The personality of Natsu Dragneel'.

**Unguarded: **Okay! Wow. This story is doing so much better than I thought it would. I'm really happy you guys are enjoying it, because I'm having such a good time writing it - and fun alone is only half the fun! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Oh, and the videogame scene is also an allegory. Did you notice it? The answer lies with LaLu **(^_-) **Have fun with it! And if you feel brave, let me know what you think. Till the next update! Bye! ^^


	3. Pink Lace

Massive thanks to** Lolibeagle** for checking this and making sure everything is where it should be.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover.

The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not try any of this. If you are interested in self-defense training, please seek out formal classes. I will be drawing on Krav Maga for this story. I won't use it exactly, but it's the style I know so that's what I'll draw from.

* * *

**A/N**: Okay! I decided to split Natsu's training into two chapters. There's a time skip in the middle and I think it flows better as two chapters because of that. And, since you guys always make me so happy, I'm uploading both chapters today! So the split really shouldn't affect you. Here is part one. Hope you like ^^

* * *

**Chapter 3: Pink Lace**

**Training: Day 1**

Natsu froze mid-step and gaped at the scene in the middle of his back yard.

_What the hell?_ He thought as he stared at the firm, upturned derriere facing him, slowly swaying, almost rolling, from side to side.

In the two minutes it had taken him to grab a couple of body pads the girl had changed out of her uniform into what was probably her school gym clothes and was performing warm-up stretches.

_I don't remember ever going to gym, but were gym shorts always that short?_ Natsu mused appreciatively as he leaned against an outer post of his porch and, em...appraised the girl's technique. It was hard work, but as Lucy's trainer Natsu had to capitalize on every opportunity to gather intel on the girl's strengths. This was to help Lucy after all.

Natsu watched as Lucy bent impressively low between her equally impressively extended legs and stretched her arms out so that they were parallel to her legs. She relaxed her neck so that her spine was in perfect alignment with her body. She fell gracefully, almost rhythmically, into the position and held it without once losing her balance.

Natsu swallowed, though the action did nothing to soothe the now desert-level dryness in his throat. Unwillingly, he tore his eyes away from Lucy's behind to land on her face just below it. Natsu allowed himself a gentle smile as he took in the peaceful, relaxed expression on the girl's face. Most people looked atrocious and ridiculous in that position, but Lucy looked elegant; beautiful even. She owned it. She was happy. And for some reason, it made Natsu happy as well.

Natsu wondered whether it was it a stroke of genius or utter bad luck that brought this girl into his back yard. Shaking the moment off Natsu repositioned his eyes on the full, supple backside that, oddly enough, seemed a safer place to look at that time.

_Pull yourself together_, Natsu scolded himself. _It's not like you've never seen a girl before. And so what if she's in shorts? They don't even fit her half as well as other girls_.

_Yosh!_ He exclaimed internally as he gradually returned to normal and focused on the situation at hand. He chose to ignore the voice deep in his consciousness that had responded to his scolding with a resounding: _But this one's different_.

Still not taking is eyes off the rear end that he'd decided was the best part of Lucy's body - incidentally, her mouth was his least favorite - Natsu tried to assess what he had learnt.

_She's fast. Good movement and balance, she's probably got good muscle strength, control and concentration. And she's got amazing form too. I wonder what her abs- damnit! Focus Natsu! This is not the time. Right. Now. She's probably done dance or gymnastics something because she's incredibly flexible._

Natsu tilted his head slightly to better inspect her form.

_Damn, her execution's smooth as hell!_

For all his attempts at seriousness, Natsu couldn't help the naughty smile that plastered his face as he wondered about the multitude of ways those skills would come in handy - in the intense training that he was about to put Lucy through, of course. Obviously. Natsu Dragneel was nothing if not focused.

_Anyways, what's good is that she's not really starting from scratch. She does have good skills we can build on._

Natsu watched with a bit of disappointment as Lucy rocked her body up from that position and straightened. With her legs still extended she lifted her hands to the back of her neck and massaged her muscles gently, slowly moving her neck left and right. Natsu was fixated by the way her fingers snaked and slithered over her neck and shoulders, rubbing and pressing into her muscles, and the way the blond was drawn into the movements, like she was buried in the motions.

_It's like she's in another world. She doesn't even know I'm here._

Natsu's black eyes sparkled as he played over the possibilities of that revelation. Oh no, this was just too good an opportunity.

_Concentration is good, but it's about time the little mistress learns a lesson or two about burying herself too deeply in something._

Natsu smiled mischievously as he walked over to the girl standing in the middle of his yard, the soft, green grass suppressing his already quiet steps. When he was just behind her he slipped his legs under hers and swiftly flicked it, tripping the girl and throwing her flailing and screaming backwards.

Lucy grunted as she hit the floor.

"What the hell!"She huffed as she rubbed her butt.

"Learn to pay better attention to your surroundings princess" Natsu dropped as he walked past her to the refreshments table and grabbed a cold drink. "You need to learn to avoid potentially high risk situations. Your first objective should be to avoid conflict and confrontation, especially situations that could get you in trouble."

"Ow, I _was_ paying attention" Lucy threw back.

"Sure. I was standing over there for a while, did you notice that? No. You were too caught up in your mini-spa treatment to know I was here. Don't get caught surprised. Try to be in charge of the situation. Assess your surroundings and determine what your caution level is."

Lucy hated to admit it, but the hothead had a point.

"Okay" she allowed herself to say, even though she didn't want to. "I'll try."

Natsu raised an eyebrow as he walked back to her. _What? No witty comeback? Maybe she really is going to be good. That's no fun!_

Lucy got up and started to straighten her shirt. Natsu's eyes flew to her face for a millisecond right before he swung his leg behind her and tripped her again.

"The hell Natsu! Seriously!" Lucy shouted as she rolled over on the grass. This one hurt more than the last. "Stop it. It hurts!"

"It's _sensei_, or have you forgotten I'm trying to help you here?"

"How is this helping me? All you're doing is bullying me!" Lucy charged, anger burning in her eyes. "I knew you were a jerk but I didn't think you were this mean!"

"I'm not trying to be mean" Natsu shot back. "I'm trying to get you to learn something important. Situational awareness isn't something I can teach you. It's something you naturally pick up with time, practice and the right exposure. Use your senses and that smart head of yours to figure out what I'm going to do, then try to avoid it or stop it."

Natsu saw that Lucy was confused and tried to explain it differently. "Okay, let's put it this way, during the time I'm teaching you, I _challenge_ you to block just one of my surprise attacks."

Natsu saw the girl's eyes light up with the mention of a contest.

"If you can block one, then I'll stop. Simple as that."

Lucy stared at him and Natsu knew her mind was wheeling. He was in for it too. That was what he liked about being with Lucy, she gave as good as she got. He teased her, and she provoked him. He challenged her, and she met it head on. Natsu couldn't deny that she excited him. It was like she lit a fire in him that he didn't know he had. More than anything, Natsu wanted to play with her, drown in the sensations she awoke in him.

"Fine. But it goes two ways," Lucy negotiated. "If I can get a surprise attack on you, you have to let me get back every trip and every attack you got on me. Wherever we are. And I _will _be keeping count. You can bet on that too if you want."

Lucy watched as Natsu's lips spread into a devilish smile. Lucy knew she would catch him with that. The hothead jerk hadn't backed away from a challenge yet. In fact, he seemed to revel in them.

What Lucy didn't see was the admiration and affection that Natsu also hid in that smile. This was the girl Natsu wanted to see.

"You think you could get me princess?" Natsu teased.

"Oh, I will get you hothead. No doubt about it. Not only will I get you, I will get you so bad you will rue this day for the rest of your life: the day you made your humiliating bet with Lucy Heartfilia. You won't even be able to suck on your oatmeal when you're 90 without cursing my name." Lucy paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "So what do you say? Do we have a deal?" she stretched out her hand and raised her eyes to meet his, their mutual competitiveness burning and dancing in the space between them.

Natsu took her hand without hesitation. There was no way she'd ever catch him unaware. Natsu knew that. But he had to admit, he was interested in what she would do. Lucy didn't seem to do anything half-assed so this promised to be worthwhile.

"Okay. Now that that's all sorted, can I just ask: were you planning to do any actual training today, sensei? Or is bullying a girl the best you got?" Lucy jabbed.

"Oh, I'd hardly call you a girl, Heartfilia" Natsu returned in the same jeering tone. "'Princess' was way off base. I know that now. It's more like 'she-devil'."

Natsu saw the girl's head explode at that and quickly continued before she could blow up at him. They really wouldn't get anything done if they kept up like this.

"Today we're going to work on your stance and basic movement, how to deal with a conflict situation and maybe we'll try a bit of punches. You okay with that?"

Lucy nodded and put on her determined face. This was why she was here. Pushing the hothead's buttons was a bonus, but now it was time for work!

§§§

**Training: Day 2**

Lucy groaned as she stretched her sore muscles in Natsu's back yard. It had been two days since their last practice and everywhere hurt. The training itself wasn't so bad; she'd pretty much managed to get the basics down and had even practiced them in her room the day before. It was Natsu's stupid situational awareness game that was the cause of her aches and pains. Tripping was just the start. In one afternoon Lucy was tripped, yanked, hit, poked, bumped and thrown against more objects than she had in her entire life. In the end, Natsu even picked her up, threw her kicking and screaming over his shoulder and carried her to the front yard where he just dropped her and walked casually back into his house. He didn't even tell her goodbye or good job. He just reminded her about the next practice...and to bring food.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Lucy's attempts at catching him off-guard were nothing if not frustrating. She couldn't even get in range of him without him knowing. She was so annoyed by her spoiled efforts that she even stooped as low as to hide behind a barrel and throw a body pad at him from a distance. She knew it wouldn't count. She just wanted to hit him. But the hothead easily deflected it, even though it was aimed at his back.

_The guy's the damn ninja! I could try jumping him when he's eating. He seems distraaa—AH!_

"For heaven's sake Natsu! Can't I have a moment's peace?!" She yelled from the floor. "Can't you just give me that?"

"An attacker won't give you that," the hothead responded calmly, sipping on his water. "You need to maintain a healthy alert state."

"What do you expect from me? No one can be alert all the time!" Lucy reasoned as she sat up and dusted off her shorts.

"Nope, I'll give you that. We raise and lower our guard depending on the conditions. But you know we're having a contest, your guard should be up and you're completely zoned out. I want you to get better, not worse. Now come on. Up. Get in the fighting stance."

Lucy jumped up, suddenly serious, and got into the fighting stance.

She placed her right leg a small step behind her left and raised her hands in front of her, keeping her elbows low and to her side, protecting her ribs. Natsu had told her to keep her hands open, her palms facing forward for now. She tucked her chin slightly down behind her hands to protect her face.

She looked up to Natsu for confirmation that she got it right.

_Why does he look so red and...constipated? Is he okay?_

Natsu tried to hold it back. He really did. But did she really have to look up at him with that cute, eager, sincere expression, whilst looking like a hunchback, neck-less turtle?

Natsu couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, spewing repressed spittle all around him. That was hands-down the best thing Natsu had seen in a long time. Somewhere Natsu knew she was trying her best and that his laughing was pretty cruel, so he tried to sober up. Several times. But it really didn't help that the girl hadn't moved from her ridiculous position. Every time he looked up, there she was: she-demon turtle girl. And the expression, the serious, determined expression that didn't suit that absurd posture at all made it almost impossible for Natsu to collect himself.

Coughing back bits of laughter, Natsu came up to her, between her still extended arms, and pressed his palms against her chest and back, straightening her.

"You don't need to bend your back like that. It will move naturally into the right position when you start to attack. It depends on the attack. For the stance, keep it straight."

Lucy looked up at the boy standing just inches from her and wondered how the hell she was still even standing. He was so insanely close and yet so earnest about it. The hands that were on her chest and back were strong and firm, but never forceful. The hands, and the respect, strength and control of the man behind them, made her body erupt in a combination of butterflies and flames; fluttery lightness and burning heat. Lucy never knew that the two could exist together.

Lucy raked her eyes over Natsu's neck, partially hidden by the scarf that he always wore, and over his solid jaw and hardy facial features. She saw that the boy was concentrating on his work. He didn't seem to notice the heated way she was looking at him. Didn't the hand on her chest know what they were sitting over? Couldn't he feel the way her heart was pounding against his hand? Didn't he have the smallest inkling of what he was doing to her?

She was already a little light-headed and over-heated when Natsu slid his hand up from her chest to adjust her neck. The palm that was on her back skimmed upward, fingers lightly tracing the line of her spine and gently grazing the nape of her neck as they moved up into her lower hairline. The movement sent nerve endings exploding all over Lucy's body. She had to force her mouth closed to suppress the sound that was building in her throat. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and turned her burning face away from Natsu, hoping that that would hide her and keep her from exposing herself completely.

"You need to be able to see your attacker at all times," Natsu was saying somewhere in the back of Lucy's internal meltdown. "Just keep your chin a bit down; your hands will do the rest. In front of you like this they are protecting your face and obscuring you from your assailant's view. But you can still see the guy through the gap in your hands. It's a perfect defense position and the perfect position to launch an attack if...you...need..."

It was only at the end that Natsu allowed his eyes to fall on the girl's face which was turned away from him, her eyes still pressed shut. It was then that Natsu registered just how close he was to her and what exactly he had been doing. As he looked down on her pretty, blushing face almost cradled in this hands, Natsu's alert systems finally switched on.

Lucy just kept her eyes shut and hoped it would all go away. The poor girl didn't even know how to begin to process what was happening. Her thoughts, emotions and sensations were all over the place and she didn't know how to put everything back in order. She wasn't even sure what order they were supposed to go into.

It wasn't long before Lucy felt Natsu pull away from her. Before the relief and disappointment could flood her system, though, something in Lucy's brain shifted. It was like a light went on somewhere, and with it, power and energy surged through her veins.

Every cell in her body was reeling with one, clear message: _He's going to trip me again!_

A second later Lucy was on the floor. This time though, instead of screaming or yelling, Lucy collapsed into a fit of frenzied laughter.

"I knew it! I absolutely knew it! I totally felt it!" she screamed over and over as she rolled around in the grass. "Natsu!" Lucy looked up to see her trainer with his back to her walking towards the food. "Hey! Natsu! I totally knew you were going to do that. It was like in those Shaolin movies, you know? Where the hero just knows exactly what's going to happen. Like a prediction. Hey! Natsu! Are you even listening to me?" She called to his back.

In her mindless adrenaline rush Lucy jumped up from the floor, ran up to Natsu and jumped on his back. She slid right off of his square, muscled back, but took the opportunity to pound on it playfully a few times.

"Hey, you! Sensei! Your student just made a discovery. Aren't you supposed to congratulate me or give me a belt or a pin or something?"

Without turning to her Natsu responded in his nonchalant, hothead voice, "Why? You still ended up on the floor. Besides, that's not much of an accomplishment. Who's to say you don't just know me, that's why you knew what was going to happen? That wouldn't help you in a real situation," Natsu closed before picking up a bottle of water.

"Doesn't matter! The aim is to get you, right? Even you said that that would be an achievement, a step. And now I'm one step closer to defeating you." Lucy pumped her fists in the air. "You just watch Dragneel. I'll get you sooner or later." Lucy paused as she tried to frame what she wanted to say. "Besides, it's amazing, isn't it? The feeling of sensing something before it happens."

Now Natsu smiled and turned to face her. Leaning back against the table that held their food Natsu threw Lucy a bottle of soda.

"Here, for your efforts."

Lucy smiled warmly at him as she turned the cap on her drink.

_Maybe he's not such a bad guy after al-AHHH!_

Lucy's high-pitched scream rung out across the back yard and the forest beyond as the soda fizzed all over her face, and dripped down her nose, ears, chin and shirt.

"You stupid, idiot, meat-eating, jerkhead!" Lucy yelled at the boy who was hunched over the table laughing uncontrollably. In his state he didn't see or sense Lucy coming up to him, all he felt was the cold drink as it poured down over his head and clothes.

This time, it was Natsu's turn to yell out in surprise. He quickly turned over and tried to grab the bottle from Lucy's hands but the girl refused to release her tight grip on it. The two fought screaming and laughing as the sweet, sticky, orange drink rained down on both of them.

Between the loose cannon and the she-devil, that poor plastic bottle didn't stand a chance. It ended up empty and crumpled in Natsu's hands.

Lucy fell back on the grass laughing.

"Well then hothead" she teased between deep breaths and laughter, "it looks like you do know how to loosen up a little and have fun."

Natsu threw the crumpled bottle at her. "I never said I didn't. It just depends on the company."

Lucy paused to think about that. She wasn't sure if it was an insult or a compliment. Her gut told her it was an insult, but her racing heart and shooting nerves desperately fought against it.

"Be right back" Natsu said pulling himself off the table. "I'm gonna get you a change of clothes. I hope you don't mind boys track pants and an oversized T-shirt."

Lucy felt herself warming to the suggestion. She didn't hate the idea of wearing Natsu's clothes. But even Lucy knew she was entering creepy territory when she started wondering what they would smell like.

_Good Lord! I've been hanging around Juvia too damned much!_

As he passed, Natsu paused and bent down to her. Lucy squirmed and recoiled as she prepared for the blow she knew was coming.

Instead, her eyes widened as she felt Natsu's hand land softly on her head and ruffle her hair slightly.

"Good job, princess."

Lucy just stared into space as Natsu walked off into his house.

§§§

"Argh!"

Natsu grabbed the towel hanging around his neck with both hands and scratched savagely at his wet hair. No matter how hard he scratched, though, he couldn't seem to get the image of what he'd glimpsed under Lucy's wet T-shirt out of his head.

_Machine guns, chainsaw, jackhammer, explosion, beer, pink lace_

"ARRGH!"

_Monster trucks, mixed martial arts, wrestling sharks, Timberlands, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace_

_Swords, knives, meat, grilling stuff, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace_

"ARRRRGHHHHH!"

_Pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace, pink lace_

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

Natsu looked up to find Laxus staring at him.

Natsu fell back against the wall behind him.

_I give up!_

"Pink lace"

Laxus laughed shortly.

"That's it? Well that's nothing. A real man enjoys some pink lace."

"Well not this man"

"Evidently Natsu, you're a pink lace kinda man. Instead of fighting it, why don't you try embracing it?"

This time it was Natsu's turn to stare at Laxus.

...

"You're completely useless" he snapped eventually, picking up the freshly cleaned laundry next to him and heading out the door. He mentally thanked Porlyusica for coming by and doing his laundry. She may be grumpy as hell but she'd stuck by her promise to Igneel to look after him all these years.

_Ok. Here we go. Monster trucks!_

When Natsu looked up he saw Lucy standing in his yard practicing her fighting stance. It still wasn't quite right. In fact, it was downright horrible. But it was much better than before. And Lucy definitely wasn't giving up. Natsu decided that he liked that look on her as well. Determined Lucy was just as beautiful as feisty Lucy, or concentrated Lucy, or graceful, relaxed Lucy.

The boy leaned against the porch post and watched her struggle, not giving up. Watching her, Natsu felt the familiar burning need growing in him again. Smiling at Lucy's fighting spirit, Natsu lifted the gates and allowed the overwhelming warmth he felt to wash over him completely.

The moment he did, everything felt right. Natsu had no excuses anymore. He had to admit it.

_So, it's pink lace, huh?_

Suddenly, Natsu understood what Laxus was trying to say. Only a real man could handle pink lace. Far from being fluffy and girly in a man's world, pink lace was probably the deadliest thing on the planet. It snuck up on you. It was delicate, graceful and beautiful but it was also fierce, formidable and proud.

_And_ it was sexy as hell.

Pink lace was just right for Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

**Author notes**

**Side note on the allegory**: Good job to those of you who figured out that Natsu was supposed to represent the armored guy in the game in the last chapter. No one tried to guess what the metaphor might mean though. My take is that there are two ways to bring down a heavily-armored man. You can work your hardest for weeks/months/years prying at the tiny kinks in his armor not knowing when or whether he'll fall, or, as **Kurasabe **said, you can use 'the good old bazooka to the face' approach - LOL XD - put everything on the line and 'go hard or go home'. The direct, open and straight-forward approach is risky and scary, but as Lucy said to Laxus, it might be the least painful option. ;-P

**Pink lace**: Okay! So this is the end of part one of training. Part 2 should already be up but please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this one. I know it might not be what some of you were expecting with 'manhandling' but with submission trending these days I absolutely did not want to write a stereotypical 'strong man takes advantage of a weak woman' or 'strong woman silences strong/weak man' story. Two strong, feisty personalities going at it is way sexier! ( ^_- )


	4. Fall

Massive thanks to** Lolibeagle** for checking this and making sure everything is where it should be.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover.

The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not try any of this. If you are interested in self-defense training, please seek out formal classes. I will be drawing on Krav Maga for this story. I won't use it exactly, but it's the style I know so that's what I'll draw from.

**A/N: A 'rock snot' is a really, really gross creature. It looks like its name sounds. Don't Google it. Just trust me.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Fall**

**Training: Day 15**

"Come on princess, harder than that" Natsu yelled to Lucy as she punched the body pad in front of him.

"I'm doing the best I can. Do you see any muscles on my arms? How hard do you think I can hit?"

_You're a lot stronger than when you first started_, Natsu mused to himself. _And a lot more toned too_, he added, surreptitiously appreciating the blonde's figure and grinning mischievously.

Since the day Natsu completely admitted his feelings for Lucy he'd been finding reasons to touch her more, but never in a tender way. Oh hell no. He wasn't some pretty boy manservant brushing back loose hair and caressing cheeks and whatnot. He was Natsu 'loose cannon'...'hothead' Dragneel. He'd do things his way.

So during training he'd 'help' her lift her legs for her kicks, or stand behind her and 'help' her move her body just right as she executed her strikes.

Natsu always smiled when he remembered the first time he'd helped her with her punches. He'd finally given in to the need to be closer to her. He stood behind her pressed slightly against her back. The fingers on his right hand were on her lower back supporting her posture while his left hand glided slowly up and down her arm as she punched forward, sometimes light, other times firm, depending on the guidance she needed.

Soon the two of them fell into a smooth rhythm, shifting their weight forward and back as Lucy threw and withdrew her punches. It was nice to be close to her and in sync with her like that in a way that she allowed and was comfortable with. The cheesy, suave, boy toy douchebags could have their ridiculous hip-swaying, shoulder-jerking, ass-shaking girly dancing. Natsu Dragneel had fists and his killer left hook. Feather fluffing wasn't for him.

Natsu remembered how his insides sizzled at being so near to her. His nerves shot heated warning signals all through his body. It was like a firing squad was inside him discharging volley after volley of celebratory shots in the air, loud and unsettling, but thrilling at the same time. And Natsu relished the sensation and strange contradiction.

He remembered turning to Lucy and seeing her looking up at him, her cheeks full, flushed and anticipating. She was working hard and she was eager to know that she was doing well. She'd let him touch her, trusted him to teach her, even hold her, and he didn't disrespect that by pushing his teasing into disregard. He still had a job to do. He looked down at her and bumped her forehead lightly with his own before dropping a short "good job, princess" and moving away from her.

Now, I know what you're thinking, but that was a head bump, not a caress. Head bumps are manly.

Natsu shook off the memory and returned to the present. Yes. He still had a job to do.

"How many times have I told you that your power doesn't come from your muscles only?" Natsu schooled patronizingly to stubborn Lucy. 'Stubborn Lucy' was one of his favorites. At her worst, she was a real pain, but at her best, she was easy to provoke and hilarious as hell. Natsu was grateful that Lucy usually kept her at an enjoyable and decent middle ground.

"You can deliver better and more powerful blows than someone much stronger than you if you know how to use your body. Shift your weight forward to generate momentum. That'll give you a stronger kick or punch. Push off with the balls of your feet. Use your hips and shoulders to add even more power. For the hammer punch, rotate your wrist just before impact. That will generate rotational torque for the moment of impact. It's also not about how hard you hit but where you hit as well. What are the sensitive points?"

Lucy listed them easily. She and Natsu had been training on alternate days for about a month and Natsu had been drilling them into her head every session they'd had together. This was the key to delivering disabling blows.

_Threat neutralization_, Lucy cheekily thought as she used her shiny new terminology.

"Front points: eyes, temples, nose, jaw, neck, especially the windpipe, solar plexus, lower ribs, kidneys, knees, feet and, my personal favorite, groin"

Natsu groaned internally. He'd learned that last one the hard way.

"Back points: back of the head or neck, spine, kidneys, behind the knee and the calf."

Natsu stared at her.

"You forgot fingers" he scolded.

"'Good job on getting most of them Lucy'" the blond dropped, mocking Natsu's critical tone. "You never lay off, do you?"

Natsu eyed her and Lucy knew that he was waiting for some of the obedience she'd promised.

"Oh! Yes sensei" Lucy said smiling brightly. "You are right. I did forget. Thank you, oh brilliant, all-knowing sensei, for sharing your infinite wisdom with me, the undeserving."

Natsu raised his eyebrows at her and sighed.

_If she laid it on any thicker we'd have enough bullshit to fuel the whole country next winter_.

"Good. Now that we've properly established my greatness and the kind service that I'm doing, come on, let's practice your hand and arm strikes again from the top," Natsu said just before hitting her on her left side with the body pad. Lucy quickly threw a straight punch at the pad. Natsu moved behind her and thumped her again. This time she delivered a hammer punch. Third time was an elbow. Fourth time was a hard upward jab using the heel of her palm. Each time, Lucy allowed her body to move naturally into the right position, not over thinking the footwork, but just letting it happen.

The last month had not been unlike Lucy and Natsu's first couple of days together. They fought, they teased, they played around and they trained. Each training day was its own bit of fun. The training gave her good skills to use if she was ever in trouble but it was the new ways of thinking that transformed Lucy the most. The philosophy of a fight, defending and attacking at the same time, choosing the right attack, moving around an opponent to get in a neutralizing blow, using attacks efficiently and quickly, keeping her eyes on her attacker while at the same time being aware of her surroundings and planning her escape. It was amazing the amount of work that went into this and the more she learnt, the more Lucy admired Natsu for being able to do it so easily and naturally.

Natsu always told her that she could do it too. That it all happened so fast and instinctively in a threatening situation, Lucy wouldn't even know she was doing it. The point was to not freak out. That way she would be able to use her training.

Still, every day Lucy grew more and more amazed by 'loose cannon' Dragneel and the simple but clever way he thought and lived his life. Under his rough exterior Natsu was a kind, decent and fun guy who was unflinchingly devoted to the things that mattered most to him. From where she was standing, Natsu seemed worlds ahead of all those people who liked to pull him down.

Lucy knew she was falling for him. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that she had probably fallen for him from the beginning, from the moment he first held her and she felt his honest kindness and strong protectiveness.

Admitting her feelings frustrated and annoyed her. It had even caused a big problem in her training about two weeks in. At one point she was actually moving backwards which made her idiot jerkbrain sensei even angrier with her.

Knowing how she felt, and seeing that her feelings were growing stronger and more unassailable day by day, scared Lucy. Natsu didn't see her as anything more than a student, and an annoying one at that. She knew her feelings would only get sturdier, and that Natsu would never reciprocate them.

The knowledge irritated and pained her. All the while her frustration was growing and becoming more and more unbearable.

The whole thing came to a head one evening around Training day 11.

**§**

Lucy had yet to catch Natsu in their contest but she wasn't giving up. She saw him playing with Happy one afternoon after their session and decided that was her chance. She'd taught herself the slap kick using a training manual she'd found in the school library. She knew she wasn't perfect at it but she could do it, and since Natsu hadn't taught it to her yet, Lucy knew she'd have a chance. She snuck up to him and put all her irritation, frustration and pride into an inside slap kick aimed as his arm. With all her feelings behind it, it was the strongest strike she'd ever delivered.

And the stupid idiot hothead jerk had turned and deflected it like it was nothing but a crumpled piece of paper thrown at him.

With that failure, Lucy blew a gasket. She hated him. She absolutely hated him.

He gave her that God-awful grin of his that usually made her heart melt, but that day only made her blood cold and her taste buds sour, and went on to make some cruel remark about whether she thought learning something new would give her the upper hand.

"Well, try learning it properly next time. That might help," he dropped in his cool, unaffected tone that really pissed her off.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Lucy growled and lunged at him, fists and arms blaring, howling like an angry maniac. She saw the look of astonishment that hit him when she did, and that gave her satisfaction and spurred her on.

She punched wildly at him, not thinking about strategy or efficiency, driven only by blind rage and the desire to hit him and wipe that ugly smirk off his face.

But Natsu deflected every blow with those stupidly bulky arms of his, and after about a minute of hardcore raging Lucy dropped down on the grass, angry and spent.

She hated him.

The blockhead just went back to playing with Happy as if nothing happened.

When she'd calmed down, he sat down next to her. He didn't say anything at first, only waited, but after a few minutes of watching the sky he spoke.

"Why are you so angry princess?"

She took a long, deep breath before replying, trying to get her jumbled feelings into some kind of logical order.

"I don't know" she admitted. "I'm just so confused. And nothing's going my way. I feel like nothing's happening fast enough and I think maybe I'm even wasting my time." She paused as the words sunk in for both of them. "It's just so hard. I didn't expect it to be so hard. I didn't expect any of this. It's so confusing. And I know it's not going to happen...and...it hurts," Lucy revealed, pouring all her fears out to him, yet still not saying everything.

Natsu smiled like he understood, but he kept his eyes on the beautiful, blue summer sky.

"I was there once," he said in a warm, kind voice that Lucy had never heard before, or since. "I think it's fine if you don't understand; if it's confusing. Don't worry or over think it. That won't help you. Just let go and enjoy it. Whatever happens. Let it happen naturally. You might be surprised in the end."

This time it was Lucy's turn to look astonished.

Natsu finally looked over to her gave her his annoying-assed smirk.

"What? You didn't think I was capable of wisdom? I'll have you know that I've spent years training and centering my body _and_ my mind. How do your cheesy Shaolin movies say it? Oh, right, 'I am one with the universe' princess."

Lucy only grunted. He really was annoying as hell; especially when he won. She hated when he won.

But Lucy had to admit, he'd properly surprised her with his advice. It wasn't bad at all.

_Just let go and enjoy it, huh? Whatever happens_.

Lucy smiled. Mr. 'one with the universe' was right. Whatever happens she will always have these days with Natsu. Even if he didn't feel the same, he couldn't take the feelings of these days from her. Or the happiness he brought her. She wouldn't ask anything of him. And she wouldn't expect anything. And when the time comes, she would let it go. All stories end. But for now, instead of fighting furiously with herself and falling behind, Lucy wanted to let go and enjoy it. She would let it run its course.

Lucy expected Natsu to get up and go back to Happy, who was sitting behind them rolling his tongue like the creepy little feline he was, but instead Natsu stayed there with her.

Neither said anything more. They just sat there in the silence, undisturbed.

Eventually Happy got up and climbed onto Lucy's lap, and rubbed his face into her hands. Natsu reached over to pet him as he curled up comfortably on Lucy's lap.

Lucy looked at Natsu's hand and the way his strong fingers moved so gently along the cat's neck and face. She looked up to glance at his happy, playful, smiling face. She sighed resignedly.

It was hopeless.

_I love you_.

**§**

"Oi! Princess! Wake up" Natsu called as he thumped Lucy once more with the body pad. "What? Are you done for today?"

Lucy realized that she was just standing there.

"Sorry. I must've zoned out for a moment"

"Okay. That's fine. Let's call it quits for today. We've had a long day anyway."

Lucy paused and looked up at the sky. She knew it was still early. Erza would still be at her council meeting and she really didn't want to walk home alone.

_I wonder if he'd let me hang out here for a while. Play some video games with him. More like kick his as-_

"So it is true what they say, she-demons need to stock up on light to survive the night," Natsu teased as he watched her marinating in the growing summer sun.

"Har har!" Lucy threw back sarcastically. "Has anyone ever told you that you're more agreeable when you're silent?"

"All the time, but I wonder if _you've_ heard it often enough. Your mouth is actually the most dangerous part of you," Natsu chucked back, refusing to think about the fact that, more and more, it was her damned mouth that was distracting him the most. "I don't even know what we're still doing here. If you were attacked you could simply open that ugly mouth of yours. The guy would probably beg for a quick and painless death." Natsu paused before sealing his victory. "Truthfully, I feel sorrier for the guy who has to listen to you every day rather than the guy who has to fight you."

Instead of reacting, Lucy gave him a brilliant, winning smile.

"Just so you know, right now, both those guys would be you."

Natsu shut his mouth with a loud snap of his teeth and searched desperately for a comeback. He hated it when she won. She was just so damn smug about it.

Without an answer Natsu knew just one thing to do.

He walked up to her with his challenging stare, the one he knew she never backed down from.

When he was just centimeters from her face, without taking his eyes off her he positioned his leg to trip her. But, unbeknownst to Natsu, Lucy was also preparing for the same movement. Natsu got his in first, but Lucy, already halfway there, was balancing on just one leg. Instead of falling backwards easily as Natsu had planned, the awkward kick spun her around on her only standing leg and threw her forward.

_Shit! She's going to fall on her face!_ Natsu quickly realized.

He instantly reached out and grabbed her and pulled her securely against him.

He caught her wide, surprised eyes as he pulled her up, and his body instinctively moved to calm and soothe her.

"It's okay. I got you," he whispered in a steady, comforting voice.

The two stayed in that position until Lucy's sudden panic subsided.

As she calmed she looked up at Natsu, into his warm, caring eyes. The sweat glistening off his skin made him look more handsome; glowing and radiant. His intense dark eyes looked like flaming hot spheres burning into her. Lucy desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. What he wanted. She watched as his gaze shifted to her mouth and stayed there. The flames in his eyes blazed hotter with every second they rested on her pink lips.

While Natsu's eyes shone with fire, Lucy's whole body was combusting. Her nerves did their usual firework show, and her blood boiled and her heart raced, but this time Lucy wasn't afraid. She didn't care to over think it, or to analyze it, or to work out how to put it all back together. She'd tried and failed at that time and time again. This time, Lucy wanted to experience it; to drown herself in the sensations and allow things to fall naturally into place.

Without thinking, Lucy licked her lips. Her mouth was dry, after all. The boy didn't seem to do too well holding back after that. Whatever he was feeling and thinking seemed to have overturned and crashed with that one, innocent action.

Lucy felt her body moving backwards. Her eyes widened briefly but then relaxed as she realized that she was being gently lowered. Natsu drew closer and closer to her as he lowered her, never once taking his eyes off of her. When his face was so close to hers that the tips of their noses were touching, Natsu lifted his eyes and, finally, their gazes met.

Lucy's breath stalled when she saw the emotion in the boy's eyes. Little did she know that her brown eyes were a mirror reflection of his dark ones.

There was only one word to describe the emotion hovering unspoken, but acknowledged, between the two.

Longing.

Lucy closed her eyes and waited.

...

_Wait...What?_

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked in surprise and disbelief as she hit the ground.

He'd dropped her.

The son of a bubbling, festering rock snot had dropped her!

Lucy sat up slightly and massaged her back.

_I can't believe he just dropped me!_ Lucy thought, shocked at the turn of events. She was so sure he was going to kiss her.

Natsu stooped over her, a wildly mischievous smirk plastered on his rock snot face.

"You shouldn't panic like that. I'm always here to catch you," he said in a warm, reassuring tone that did not match his expression one bit. Lucy looked at him skeptically as he leaned further over her and grinned even more wickedly.

"But don't get complacent princess. If I want you to fall, you will."

Lucy's eyes widened. The nerve of him. Ever since training started all she'd been doing was falling. Mostly because of him!

_So what? All this time you've just been conveniently letting me fall?_

Natsu looked at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Adorable Lucy Heartfilia who always displayed her emotions and expressions so openly on her pretty face.

Oh, how he loved her.

Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He had to tease her. He leaned further over her and moistened his mouth.

Lucy saw him leaning towards her and flinched.

_What is he up to now?_

All Lucy would remember in the days to come would be the feeling of his tongue, and his icky, gooey, rock snot saliva as it ran up the side of her face.

"You licked me!" she screeched as she wiped her cheek. "I can't believe you licked me!"

That was the last straw.

Lucy jumped up and chased after him, determined to get her revenge.

Natsu raised his arms and laughed as he defended the shower of blows that rained down on him.

He'd gotten her good this time.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. It has to be my favorite chapter in this story.

It seems they liiiiike each other. Who would have guessed? ^^ But will these two ever let go of their stubbornness and confess their feelings? I wonder...

Just one more chapter to go folks, and there's still a surprise or two left in this story, look out for the stunning conclusion of _Unguarded_ next update. Till then, bye ^^


	5. Cocoon

Massive thanks to** Lolibeagle** for checking this and making sure everything is where it should be.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover.

The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Do not try any of this.

**A/N: Sigh, my descriptive writing style has gotten the better of me again. The final chapter got too long. Again we have two chapters, and, as before, you'll get them both today.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Cocoon**

Gajeel Redfox cringed in his seat on the rear-facing windowsill. The blond man leaning against the wall behind him seemed to wince slightly as well.

"Ohhh" the pierced dragon groaned loudly, sympathetic laughter tinting his voice. "Can't you teach your boy how to deal with his frustration? That shit was just painful to watch."

Laxus glanced down at Gajeel before sinking his fingers into the bag of chips that sat at the side.

"What? And miss the epic licking? No way!"

The blond dragon turned and headed for the sofa in the middle of the room.

"Besides, I think 'my boy' is doing just fine on his own," Laxus added right before plunking himself down on the sofa and spreading his long legs across the small coffee table.

Gajeel turned back to the show that had captured their attention in the backyard.

"How exactly is teasing and..." Gajeel blinked, he never thought he would ever say this, "licking 'doing fine'?"

Laxus glanced briefly in Gajeel's direction before answering.

"It seems the pink-haired idiot is smarter than you in some ways Gajeel."

Gajeel only scoffed.

Laxus laughed. Somehow he thought Gajeel would have understood this by now.

"Sometimes, behind the incredibly stupid, imbecilic things a man does there is actually a thoughtful gesture."

Gajeel raised a dubious eyebrow in the older man's direction. Laxus laughed internally. He didn't think the distant but usually perceptive dark-haired boy was so lost when it came to matters of the heart.

"You ever wanted something really badly, Gajeel? Something that was pulling you in no matter how hard you fought against it? Imagine that that something was dangling and flaunting itself right in front of your face day after day and you couldn't run away from it. You could touch it, feel it, enjoy it, but not have it; at least not in the way you want it. Even so, every time you saw it, it pulled you in more and more. That want, the tension and the frustration of it, it's building all the time. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold yourself back in that kind of situation?"

Gajeel fell into thought as he reflected on the situation. He was beginning to feel a little sorry for the kid.

"Blondie out there cracked days ago. She vented all her frustration in her blind rage. Besides, every time the two of them meet she airs it out with her fighting. Natsu doesn't have that kind of outlet. His tension's still building. All he's got is his teasing and playing around to get him through it. In fact, I'm amazed Natsu's held on for so long under those circumstances without crossing a line. He obviously really cares about that girl. He doesn't want to do something that's actually stupid, something that would really hurt her. And his desire to protect her is trumping his instinct."

"If he wants to so badly why the hell didn't he just kiss her? She was clearly begging for it. The idiot just dropped her."

"I don't know. This is Natsu we're talking about here. He does things in his own warped way. All I can think is that he didn't want to. The moment was probably right, but what would happen after getting sucked into it? It's not like they've said that they want their relationship to change. Things would probably just get awkward between them. And since he didn't kiss her and she was all gung ho about it, he couldn't just leave her there. That would embarrass her and make things even worse. Dropping her might've seemed cruel, but in Natsu's mind it was probably kind. It cut through any awkwardness they might have felt and put things right back where they were between them. It was actually pretty ingenious."

Laxus looked over to Gajeel who appeared lost in thought. This was the first time Gajeel had ever showed an interest in anything like this. Laxus could help but tease him.

"It's a pity Lucy's friends haven't come over recently to see how she's doing with her training," he baited cautiously.

Gajeel scoffed, but his usual acrimony wasn't in the sound. "They probably don't want to be found out." He nodded in Lucy's direction as she fought with Natsu outside, "that bunny girl's situational awareness is really in pieces. I can't believe she didn't notice they were following her. They were right behind her. There was even red and blue hair popping out of the bushes."

Gajeel remembered how Natsu had led Lucy through the house and told them to do something about the visitors outside. When they opened the door they were greeted with shaking bushes and loud whispering.

The red-headed iron maiden had refused to leave until she knew why Lucy was there. Laxus had invited them in and showed them Lucy's training through the window. The girls stayed all that afternoon and even returned for a few days to see Lucy's progress. The iron maiden in particular seemed really interested in Lucy's training and happy about how she was doing. She also seemed to approve of Natsu. Unlike the other girls, she seemed to understand what was going on between Natsu and Lucy, and more than once they'd caught her smiling at the antics of the two. Even though the girls were annoying as hell and really hard to keep up with Gajeel found that he didn't hate having some female laughter and noise around him.

"Hmmm" Laxus mused watching Gajeel out of the corner of his eye. "I guess now that school's out they're probably out having fun in the sun, chasing boys and whatnot."

Gajeel eyed Laxus but didn't respond.

"That bookworm, what do you call her? Smurf? She's pretty easy on the eyes. She probably does reasonably well with the boys, I think. Summer, the beaches, bikinis, topless guys everywhere. I can't see why she wouldn't choose to be out there rather than in here."

Gajeel knew he was being baited but he wasn't going to bite.

"It's 'shrimp'. And I can't think of a better place for a shrimp than the sea."

Laxus seemed incited by that.

"I can," he volunteered.

"And I really don't want to hear it," Gajeel returned laconically. He wasn't in the mood for any of the eating-related quips he was sure Laxus had in mind.

§§§

"Who won?" Natsu asked as he walked into the living room and saw the two near lifeless bodies sprawled across the room. The room looked worse than it usually did, which was saying something.

Laxus raised a shaky arm from under a toppled coffee table. At the same time another rickety arm came up from behind an overturned sofa which, Natsu noted, was completely in the wrong side of the room.

Natsu grumbled internally. It looks like he'd missed out on a really good one this time. Stupid princess and her stupid training, making him miss out on the good stuff.

"Come on guys, get yourself together," Natsu encouraged as he picked up Laxus's coat from on top of the small lamp lying at his feet.

"Lucy just left. We can probably catch her before she reaches the shopping centre."

Gajeel groaned in response and Laxus only shifted uncomfortably under the table.

"Why don't you follow your girlfriend home on your own today?" Laxus managed to get out. "We're gonna stay here."

"She's not my girlfriend," Natsu corrected.

"Urgh. Fine," Laxus conceded, "why don't you stalk your not girlfriend home on your own today?"

"It's not stalking either" Natsu replied just as dryly. "Now come on. Get up. It's Thursday, the scary girl's got club activity today so we're just gonna watch Lucy until she gets to school. The red-head will get her home safe."

Both Gajeel and Laxus grumbled but rolled themselves into quasi-standing positions. "In can't believe there are people who go to school even during the holidays" Gajeel complained.

"Yep, I bet along with red-headed iron maidens there might even be a shrimp or two in there," Laxus just had to say.

Natsu didn't understand what was going on but he knew the glare that Gajeel was casting at Laxus, and this time he wasn't going to miss the chance to get involved. He grabbed the lamp at his feet and tossed it to Gajeel who aimed it right at Laxus' head. Laxus easily dodged it and, with renewed energy, he lunged at Natsu for interfering. Natsu happily retaliated. He was finally free to have at it as much as he wanted. He'd wanted to punch something all afternoon and he knew those two could take it.

§§§

_Shit! Where the hell is she?_ Natsu's mind screamed as he ran around the parking area of Magnolia's main commercial centre searching for Lucy. About mid-way across the parking lot he caught up with Gajeel and Laxus who had each run in different directions.

He looked at them anxiously. They both shook their heads.

"Sorry man," Laxus exhaled, "I didn't see her anywhere nearer to the school. She definitely didn't get that far."

"We didn't miss her behind us either," Gajeel said almost out-of-breath. His concern was obvious. He'd begun to see the blond as a friend and he didn't like thinking that she might really be in trouble.

"I didn't see her anywhere in the mall parking lot either," Natsu said looking uneasily around the lot. Worry, fear and guilt were painted clearly on his face. "She wouldn't go inside if she's got to meet the redhead. And she was horsing around with me before she left so she's probably a little late too."

"Maybe someone picked her up?" Laxus offered.

Natsu had to admit that that was a good possibility.

_But then why do I feel so..._

"No. Something's not right."

The other two nodded. They didn't have a good feeling about this.

Natsu pressed his hand firmly over his mouth and slowly surveyed the area.

_What did you do Lucy? Where did you go? If you're late...what...would...you...do?_

Natsu's eyes landed on the alleyway leading to the back of the mall. The back of the mall was closed off to the public. That area was used solely by the supermarket to drop off large loads, this way the large trucks that brought supplies did not crowd the main driveways. It was also where the supermarket left its bulk rubbish for collection. The area was fenced but the fence hadn't been maintained for a while and it was easy to move in and out through parts of it. Since the trucks didn't work after mid-afternoon, some kids tended to use the area to hang out after school or as a short cut to the school playing field which lay just beyond the narrow woods behind the mall.

_Lucy you wouldn't!_ Natsu scolded mentally as he sprinted towards the alleyway, Gajeel and Laxus running just as hard behind him, both understanding what Natsu was thinking.

With school out, no one would be back there. Even worse, the woods bordering the mall were pressed between the school playing field and the back end of the mall so no one hung out there. It was used primarily as a path, but most avoided it at certain hours because it could get lonely. And at this time of day, with school out and the city workers already well on their way home, it would probably be deserted.

The boys' had been running for a while and their chests and throats burned but still they pushed forward, fuelled by fear and the dark omen hovering heavy over them. As much as they denied it, somehow they just knew Lucy was back there.

Natsu dashed through the entry to the alley just as an anguished scream pierced through the air.

Natsu's insides stilled at the scream but his body refused to submit to the bone-chilling fear coursing through him. Instead, Natsu pushed on even harder.

_Lucy!_

_I'm almost there. Wait for me!_

The boys broke out of the alley into the high, concrete-rimmed area at the back of the mall just in time to see a tall man, holding a gun, slap Lucy roughly across her face. The force of the slap sent the girl reeling sideways. A second man who was standing behind the girl binding her arms pulled her up to face her attacker once more. When she lifted her head Natsu saw that blood was running down her mouth and the corner of her eyes.

Natsu growled and made a move towards the men standing at the far end of the lot. Laxus grabbed his arm and held him back.

Natsu threw him an enraged look but Laxus steadied him.

"They haven't seen us yet Natsu. I know she's hurt, but you've got to calm down. She's a strong girl, she can stand this."

Laxus' words cooled Natsu's burning rage slightly. The boy knew he had to calm down and assess the situation. He nodded slowly and Laxus let him go.

The boys crouched low behind some boxes and concentrated on what was going on at the other end of the lot.

There were five men crowded around Lucy. The one holding her was unarmed but three others were armed with knives. The guy with the gun seemed to be the one in charge. He stood in front of her and said something to her in a low voice. From his expression it was clear that he was taunting her. Natsu tensed as the man ran the barrel of the gun across Lucy's cheeks but he held his position. The situation hadn't escalated into more than threats yet so Natsu felt relatively safe, though he was certain he was going to beat the shit out of the asshole the moment he got his hands on him.

Laxus tapped Natsu and Gajeel and pointed to the line of boxes running along the back wall of the mall. His intention was clear. Slowly and soundlessly the boys crept behind the boxes and closer to the group at the furthest end of the lot. As they drew closer they started to hear bits of the conversation that was going on.

"Did you really think I wouldn't keep my promise and come back for you Lucy dear?" The man with the gun asked, running his fingers along Lucy's jaw line and grabbing her chin, forcing her to face him. He brought his face down close to hers.

"I assure you pretty Lucy, I always keep my promises."

With that he dropped a soft, mocking kiss on the girl's nose.

Natsu clenched his teeth but managed to remain unnoticed as he and the others continued forward.

"Now, now. What's with that long face? Do I frighten you Lucy?"

"No," Lucy's voice flared defiantly. "That's not fear asshole, that's revulsion".

Natsu heard a sharp slap followed by a short, pained, yelp. The sound made him grind his fists even tighter. He really was going to tear that guy to pieces when he got his hands on him.

"I didn't want to hurt you Lucy. I really didn't. All the pain you've suffered until now is all because of that wild temper of yours. You only had to do what we asked and everything would have been fine. But you couldn't do that, could you? COULD YOU?!"

The man moved from Lucy's side and began walking aimlessly around the lot yelling furious profanities at the blond who was doing her best to keep her expression solid and unfaltering.

Having reached the boxes lining the walls the man turned to walk back to the group.

His back was now to them and Natsu and the others saw their opportunity. The boys immediately sprang into action.

Natsu headed straight for the gun-wielding bastard. Laxus and Gajeel ran past him to deal with the others.

At the sound of movement, the man turned and saw Natsu coming at him. He raised his gun, but he was too late, the boy was already within striking distance. Natsu rocked his body sideways, away from the barrel, and swung his arm at the man's wrist, pushing the gun away from him. Holding tight unto his opponent's wrist Natsu tried to wrest the gun from the man's solid grip.

The gun went off as the two struggled. In the distance Natsu heard Lucy scream his name. The sound threw him for a moment, and the next thing Natsu knew his head was flying back from the force of an elbow to his jaw. Still Natsu did not let go of the man's wrist. He recovered from the blow and aimed a punch at the man's stomach. The man easily deflected the blow with his free hand and immediately switched from defense to offence. He directed a return blow straight to Natsu's face. Natsu only just managed to dodge the attack.

_This guy isn't your average gangster_, Natsu thought, his mind swimming. _He's no professional, but he's no idiot-with-a-gun either._

Lucy watched as Natsu, Gajeel and Laxus fought the men around her. Everything was so chaotic, she couldn't think. When the gun went off Lucy thought Natsu had been shot. She was relieved when she saw him up and fighting bravely. The man holding her hadn't moved but Gajeel and Laxus were around her keeping two of them busy. A fifth man holding a knife stood to the side seemingly as confused and unsure about what to do as Lucy was. The man's bewilderment cleared the fog in Lucy's mind for an instant and Natsu's firm voice broke through.

_"The element of surprise is important and it can determine the outcome of a fight. Keep attacking. Be quick. Keep distracting and confusing him until you get an opportunity to deliver a disabling blow."_

Alert now, Lucy realized that the man holding her was so concerned about what was going on around him that he wasn't holding on to her as tightly as before.

Lucy shifted and collected her strength. When the man turned to focus on Gajeel's fight to their right Lucy lurched in his arms and rammed the heel of her palm up against the bottom of the man's jaw. She heard and felt the loud clack as his teeth snapped together from the impact. The man let go of her and doubled forward holding his mouth and screaming in pain. He'd bitten his tongue with that attack and was gurgling loudly.

_"Keep attacking, don't give your assailant the chance to regroup and attack you again," Natsu's voice rang out in her head._

Before the man or his armed companion could register what was happening Lucy yelled and rammed yet another palm at the man's nose. The man's head flew back like a rag doll from the strike. His hands flew immediately to his nose.

_"Front points: eyes, temples, nose, jaw, neck, especially the windpipe, solar plex-."_

With the man's head thrown back and his arms occupied Lucy saw the opportunity she wanted. She wheeled back, gathering momentum, and charged forward throwing a violent straight punch at the man's windpipe. The man dropped to the floor coughing and gasping.

_"It all happens so fast and instinctively in a threatening situation...Just pay attention and don't freak out."_

Lucy was looking down at her work when a knife slid past her feet. Looking around she saw that Laxus had finished with his opponent and was tackling the remaining guy who still hadn't moved from his position.

Gajeel was standing over his man, making sure he stayed down. He looked across at her with approval.

"Looks like this bunny has a bite," he teased.

Lucy smiled shyly and looked over to Natsu who was sluggishly hauling himself off the man who'd hurt her the most. The man was lying motionless on the ground beneath Natsu. Natsu was breathing hard and he was bloodied and tired, but otherwise he didn't look seriously injured.

He looked up and met her eyes, relief flooding over both their features.

They were standing some distance from each other and neither had as yet said a single word, but in the silent emotion that hung between them in that moment, each knew how the other felt.

As Laxus landed some finishing blows on his adversary, Lucy heard a noise behind her. Turning, she saw the guy she thought she had finished standing up, the knife that had slipped past her tight in his grasp.

The man looked at her enraged and hurled himself forward.

Lucy stood shocked still, consumed in fear. She could only watch in apparent slow motion as the man charged at her.

Then, an instant later, Lucy was pulled sideways and knocked to the ground. She felt the impact of hitting the ground and the recurrent shock of her head bashing repeatedly against something hard before finally settling.

Around her, Lucy could hear the muffled sounds of a fight. She tried to move but her head was cradled tightly inside a warm cocoon. _Someone's holding me_, Lucy realized as fatigue overcame her. Gradually, the voices around her dimmed and in that safe cocoon Lucy lost consciousness.

* * *

A/N: The last chapter – I promise this time XD – should be up in a few hours. Look out for it!

Something to chew on in the meantime: This chapter is called 'Cocoon' because, not just at the end of this chapter but throughout this story, Lucy was being protected.


	6. Unguarded

Massive thanks to** Lolibeagle** for checking this and making sure everything is where it should be.

**Disclaimers:** Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by **Hiro Mashima**. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

The cover art is owned by the amazing **Bludy-chu** (Deviant Art, Twitter, Tumblr) who was kind enough to give me permission to use her beautiful artwork as a cover.

The self-defense principles, skills and techniques that I describe in this story are used for entertainment purposes only. Do not try any of this.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Unguarded **

Natsu groaned and forced his heavy, tired eyes open. He blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted to the brightness in the room. Even though he was lying down, he felt dazed, wobbly and exhausted.

_Shit. Why do I feel like a truck just ran over me? What the hell happened?_

He looked around, and realized that he was in a hospital bed. At his side, half-seated on her chair, half-laying on his bed, was Lucy. Her head was resting comfortably on her arms. She was facing away from him, her blond hair shining in the bright white light that flooded the room.

Natsu strained to remember how he got there, but his mind was a dense, blurry, haze.

_What happened?_

Determined, Natsu pushed through the haze. As he searched, the mist slowly cleared. He remembered losing Lucy after their training and searching for her. He remembered the heart-stopping fear he'd felt when he thought that he was going to lose her. He remembered the fight and finally taking the guy down. His last memory was looking at Lucy as she stood triumphantly over the guy she'd fought and meeting her eyes. He remembered the relief he'd felt on seeing her safe, and the tender, relieved smile she gave to him when she saw that he was okay. He remembered looking into her eyes then and experiencing the depth of her feelings for him and knowing just how much she loved him back.

His last memory was the feeling of being loved very sincerely and very deeply by the girl he loved back. It was overwhelming at the time. Even now, the feeling resonated with him as if it had only just happened.

Natsu looked down at the sleeping girl next to him and moved his fingers gently into her hair. With her resting next to him and watching over him Natsu felt infinitely safer than he'd ever felt in his life.

"When did I grow to love you so much, princess?" Natsu murmured as he twined thin strands of blond hair between his fingers.

Lucy groaned in her sleep.

"You said it all started on that mound in school," she mumbled tiredly, slowly turning over, "but it didn't really hit you until you held me outside your house that day I came to ask you to train me."

She met his eyes and smiled. "Good morning."

Natsu's already foggy mind was spinning now.

_What the hell? I know I don't know much about this love stuff but is this how it's supposed to go? I know I've never said any of that stuff._

Lucy caught his puzzled expression and smiled even wider. She liked that expression on the usually self-assured Natsu. She sat up and laced her fingers through his.

"You have a concussion," she explained plainly, leaning over him on the bed. "You've been sleeping for about three days. You slip in and out of consciousness and even talk a bit when you're awake."

Catching his surprised expression she explained further. "It's okay if you don't remember any of it. The doctor said you won't since your brain's still recovering from the shock. You won't even remember this conversation the next time you wake up, well, unless you've recovered this time."

Natsu took a while to internalize that.

"Oh" was all he could manage.

After a long process of digesting what Lucy had said Natsu couldn't help but ask, "So I've said that sort of thing before?" Somehow, Natsu didn't want to know the answer.

Lucy giggled playfully at him.

"You've been telling me you love me every time you wake up. It's always the first thing you say every time you open your eyes."

Natsu emitted a long, embarrassed groan. His pride was officially shot to hell!

"Wait, I remember the fight but I don't remember hitting my head."

"You won't remember. The doctor says you probably won't ever remember the blow itself or what came right before it. What's the last thing you remember?"

Natsu colored slightly but he wasn't afraid to say it.

"Looking at you after I got off that guy."

Lucy smiled at her own memory of that moment. It was in that moment when he looked at her during the fight that Lucy felt the sincerity and intensity of his love for her. There were no words, but she believed in it. And that confidence in his feelings gave her courage.

Lucy took a deep breath and prepared once more to explain to Natsu how he got there.

"The guy I hit wasn't knocked out. He got up and grabbed one of the knives on the floor and tried to stab me with it. Before he got to me you pulled me away. We fell. Gajeel said that when you saw that we were falling you wrapped your hands around my head, protecting me from the fall. I was fine, just shaken up. But you hit the ground with full force. You were knocked out immediately. I woke up in the ambulance and sorted everything here."

"Sorted?"

"This is the Heartfilia wing of Magnolia Hospital. You've got a private room, your own food on order and I've arranged to have the best neurosurgeon on staff look after you." Lucy neglected to mention that she'd summoned the surgeon out of a scheduled spinal surgery to look after Natsu. He didn't really need to know everything she was capable of.

"Won't they tell your dad about all that?"

"They've informed him. He's in Crocus on business but he called and said we have to have a talk when he gets back. I'll just tell him we got attacked by some bad kids on the way to school, a friend saved my life but he was in trouble and I tried to help him. Dad'll yell a bit about responsibility, take away some privileges, I'll fight him about it, he'll say he'll restore my privileges when I learn some responsibility and that should be that."

Natsu gazed at her. She really was something else. Then he remembered something.

"So will your friends ever learn the truth about what this was all about?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer but at the same time a nurse walked through the door.

"Oh, you're awake again," she said pleasantly to Natsu. She walked over to him and looked into his eyes. She asked him a few questions which he answered easily.

"Well, you seem pretty lucid. I think we might be at the tail end of it, or even out of it entirely. I'll call the doctor to give you a full check, but my guess is you're well in the clear this time."

Before leaving she shot Lucy a sly, conspiratorial look.

"Did he tell you he loves you again?" she asked mischievously.

Lucy blushed and giggled.

"That would be a yes." She looked over at Natsu as she walked through the doors. The boy appeared to have shrunk. "Nicely played Casanova, you executed a series of fine concussion-induced confessions."

Natsu groaned and rolled over in his bed, wrapping the pillow tight around his burning, embarrassed face.

"Damn concussion's killing my pride!" he grumbled.

Lucy giggled girlishly as she watched his adorable, sulking face. He really was incredibly cute. Emboldened, she got up from her chair and sat down on the bed beside him. Natsu stirred slightly as she bent down to him. His eyes widened as she placed a feather-soft kiss on his cheek.

_Exactly how many things happened while I was under this concussion_, Natsu wondered.

Lucy pulled away slightly and grinned at him.

"If you promise that I'll be the only one to see that face, ever, I promise I'll protect your pride."

Natsu looked up at the girl who had stolen his senses and wondered whether this feeling of being overwhelmed by her would ever stop.

Lucy saw the change in his expression and smiled. She pressed her nose against his and stroked his cheek gently with her thumb.

"I love you too Natsu Dragneel."

§§§

"I can't believe you guys were spying on me!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I can't believe you lied to us!" Cana threw back.

"Cana shhhh this is still a hospital," Levy reminded Fairy Academy's 'party girl'.

"Hospital smoshpital! It's a public space and the public's got freedom of speech," Cana defended.

"I don't think that's the way it works Cana-san," Juvia added.

"Will you girls just be quiet, you're making a ruckus in a hospital room," Erza ordered, louder than all of them.

The boys just gaped at the spectacle. This was not what they'd imagined girls would be like.

It had been one day since Natsu recovered from his concussion. His doctor had given him a clean bill of health but was keeping him in the hospital under observation for a few days. However, he was now allowed groups of visitors so Gajeel and Laxus, along with the rest of the Fine Five joined Lucy in Natsu's hospital room.

Lucy was pleased that Natsu seemed to get along easily with her weird group of friends. Somehow it felt odd that they'd never interacted before because their personalities seemed to match each other's well, especially Erza's and Natsu's. It wasn't long before Erza was scolding Natsu like he was some disobedient little brother.

Laxus coughed loudly to silence the noisy group.

When that didn't work, he broke.

"Can you girls just be quiet for just one minute!" he screamed.

A nurse promptly peeked into the room. "For the last time Mr. Dreyar can you please keep your voice down?"

_Who could keep their voice down in this circus?_ Laxus complained internally, though he nodded politely to the nurse.

In the silence that followed everyone looked to Lucy. She knew that after everything the boys had risked for her they at least deserved an explanation.

She nodded and began her story.

"About six weeks ago I was walking along Strawberry Street on my way home from school when a group of guys" she looked over to the boys, "the same men you guys caught, drove up beside me in two cars and blocked me. They grabbed me and pushed me into one of the cars. They said they were going to trade me for my dad."

Lucy looked at her friends who had gone pale with the news that Lucy had been kidnapped. She shook her head, straining to remember the details.

"It all happened so fast, I can't remember exactly what happened, but I know that I was in the backseat of the car and the guy was insulting me. I struggled and fought back, but every time I did he just teased me and made fun of me like my struggling was nothing to him."

Lucy stalled. She was sitting on Natsu's bed and she could feel his hand come up supportively behind her to land on her shoulder. She looked over to him and he nodded to her encouragingly. With renewed courage, she turned back to the others.

"I-I didn't know what to do so I just started to shake my body around violently and utter some broken, incoherent sounds. I even frothed a bit to help the act. I was trying to make them think I was having some kind of attack. The guy in charge wasn't buying it, but the one who was driving pulled over anyway. He told the other one that the boss hadn't given them permission to hurt me. The stubborn one grabbed me and asked me if I could understand him. I nodded."

Lucy looked over to her friends who were deeply caught up in her story. She took a deep breath and continued.

"That next Saturday I was supposed to go to a gala with dad, he'd asked me to go himself. He said it was very important. The man in the car told me that he wanted me to bring dad out to the central piazza at 10pm during the gala. They said that they wouldn't hurt him. They just wanted to talk to him."

The girl's voice cracked as she said her next words.

"Th-They said that if I didn't bring him out they would come back for me. And the next time, they wouldn't be so kind. Then they just tossed me out of the car and drove off."

Lucy stopped her story as she was dragged once more into the weighty, conflicted thoughts that had been haunting her.

"You didn't bring your dad out, did you Lucy?" Cana eventually asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

Lucy broke down with that question and her friends ran to her to comfort her. The tears that she'd been holding back for weeks now spilled out uncontrollably.

"I know he's cruel and tyrannical" Lucy managed to say through her tears. "I know he ignores me and that to him I'm not even his daughter. I'm more like the shiny pen that finalizes his contracts. But-" Lucy hiccupped several times before she was able to continue. Everyone paused and waited for the words they knew were coming next.

"But he's still my father," Lucy finished, bawling.

Silence fell on the room after that last statement. Lucy had chosen to sacrifice herself for her father's sake. It could not have been easy for her to bear that alone.

When she'd composed herself, Lucy finished her story.

"I couldn't tell him what happened" she said, resting her head on Cana's shoulder. "I already live in a cage, if he knew I was in danger do you have any idea what would happen? I can't do boarding school. I won't. And I won't lose you guys. You're the most important people to me in this world."

"So why didn't you at least tell us what happened?" Erza broached carefully, asking what the girls wanted to know most.

"I- I didn't want you to worry. I thought that if I could protect myself things would be fine but...it wasn't enough."

This time, Natsu spoke up from behind her.

"There were five of them and they weren't amateurs. You couldn't do this on your own Lucy."

Lucy blushed softly as Natsu used her name for the first time.

"Don't feel bad about it. None of us could have done this alone. But you have to trust us Lucy. We'll always be here to help you but you have to tell us what's going on."

Natsu looked over to Laxus and Gajeel who both nodded.

"They're behind bars and you're safe. That's all that matters now," the boy reassured.

Erza observed the look the two shared and smiled. Natsu was mischievous and teasing, even harsh at times, but he truly loved Lucy, and Erza was happy that her friend had found someone who was obviously dedicated to her.

Erza raised her head proudly and extended her arm as if to embrace the room.

"Ah love!" She began, "sweet love."

"What the-" Natsu started.

"Shhh" a chorus of anxious voices rang out, silencing Natsu.

Lucy leaned over to Natsu, Erza's melodious voice resonating in the background.

"It's Erza's soliloquy" she whispered, not taking her eyes off Erza. Natsu bristled and Lucy explained.

"Erza considers herse- uh...Erza is a great actress and every once in a while she graces us all with a theatrical exposition on life. She considers i—um...it's a great honor. Just...shh."

"So girls" Erza continued, oblivious to the expressions of the people around her, "if you're lucky enough to have a good dragon by your side, have some sympathy for him. He's bumpy and klutzy and he doesn't know what the hell we want, but he's trying. And to you good dragons out there, please try to file down the claws a bit. We like claws, they add color and laughter to our lives, but there's a fine line between teasing and being downright mean. Find the damn lin-"

"Are you out of your mind?" Natsu bellowed, interrupting the self-declared thespian. He couldn't take anymore. "I really don't think this is the kind of hospital you need."

A menacing aura fell over the room at that. Erza turned to face the bed-bound boy.

"Are you looking for another concussion pinkie?" Erza threatened as she closed the distance between them.

"You wanna fight me hag?" Natsu challenged as the shadow loomed closer to him.

Four of the Fine Five winced at that. Lucy eased away from Natsu.

"You're on your own this time hothead," Lucy mumbled as a massive hand came crashing against Natsu's cheek.

Natsu clutched his blistering face. That felt more like a steel rod than a hand.

"Er- Erza," Levy gasped.

Lucy sighed.

"I told you to shh," she whispered to Natsu. "You never interrupt an Erza monologue."

It wasn't long before that posh room in the exclusive Heartfilia wing of Magnolia Hospital quickly exploded in a rumble of chaos.

In the pandemonium the man who was standing silently in the hallway listening to the proceedings swirled his cigarette around his mouth a few times and walked away from the room.

"Sir, I'm sorry" an attendant called behind him "this is a hospital you can't smoke here."

The man turned to face her, and the woman immediately blanched.

"I-I'm sorry Mr. Heartfilia sir. I didn't know it was you," the woman apologized.

The man only turned and continued on his way.

"What's with him?" someone asked, coming up to the attendant.

"I don't know. It looks like he's got a lot on his mind."

§§§

Natsu grabbed the tongs from Gajeel and turned to the bar-b-cue.

"Don't give me that look," Natsu scolded, "grilling is an art, if you can't get it right have a seat and let a real man show you how it's done."

Gajeel grunted but rejoined the group behind them anyway. He figured the idiot wanted to be alone. He wasn't too comfortable with having all these people around him either. He might as well give Natsu a break too.

Natsu sighed and inhaled the wonderful scent of charcoal and crisping meat. The quiet sizzling soothed him and drowned out the incessant noise behind him.

His world was tranquil, ordered and disciplined before the princess fought her way into it. But to keep her around he was willing to tolerate the constant hum of female voices intruding into his life. It wasn't that he hated having them around, but did having friends mean that they always had to be around? It was just too much for him. Gajeel and Laxus were around a lot but they usually did their own thing, so they weren't much of a hindrance.

Natsu decided that he'd have to establish some boundaries. He'd worked hard to build his reputation and he liked his isolation and quiet. He wasn't about to give up everything he was. After all, he was still Natsu.

The boy threw a look at the group behind him. His heart sunk slightly as he surveyed the faces.

_I know she said she's grounded, but still, it would've been nice if she could come to my welcome home bar-b-cue. She'd make this whole display much more tolerable_.

His eyes ran over the two most recent additions to his life: Gray Fullbuster and Jellal Fernandez.

_Hopefully that's the last of them_, his mind complained just as a pained, desperate sound cut through the air.

"RRRRAAOOW!"

Natsu spun his head in the direction of the sound coming from the front of the house.

"Natsu!" Gajeel's voice rang out urgently.

"I'm going," Natsu said dropping the tongs and running around the side of the house to the front yard.

"Happy!" Natsu called after the feline. "Happy!"

He was just about to cross the edge of his yard when he saw it, a long, pale, curvaceous leg extending from behind one of the trees.

Unfortunately, the boy was already too close to the tree to stop.

"Son of a-" Natsu yelled as he tumbled on the grass.

He lay there for some time contemplating his misery before the object of his contemplation appeared above him grinning smugly.

Oh, how he hated that self-satisfied smirk.

She lifted her arms and showed a safe and contented Happy curled up in her hands. The feline looked down at Natsu and yawned dismissively at his owner.

_What? Are you taunting me too?_

"RRRRAAOOW!" it repeated as if in answer.

_What has Lucy been teaching you?_

"You" he said propping himself up on his elbows, pointing to Happy. "You really are a traitor. And you" he shifted his finger to the duplicitous, trouble-making, blond she-devil, "you're a cheater."

"Cheater? Oh no! The deal was, if I can get a surprise attack on you, you have to let me get back every trip and every attack you got on me. I just got you. You thought Happy was in trouble so your guard should have been up. And it was a proper attack too. So it counts. Just because you didn't expect me to be here doesn't mean I didn't get a surprise attack on you in the right circumstances."

Natsu stared blankly at her while his brain rummaged frantically for a comeback, any possible loophole.

_Damnit! I've created a monster!_

The proud smug on Lucy's face widened as she realized Natsu couldn't get himself out of this one.

_We've won!_ Lucy's left and right brain exclaimed, in agreement for once.

"Prepare yourself for humiliation of the highest degree Dragneel!" Lucy boasted triumphantly.

_Oh no_, Natsu groaned mentally. _Here comes the trash talk. She's horrible at trash talk! Divert! Divert! Divert!_

"Hey! Who was it that said she was going to protect my pride, huh?" Natsu asked pointedly.

Lucy laughed heartily and bent further over him.

"I never said I was going to protect it from me," she retorted, poking her tongue out at him.

_Oh this girl!_ Natsu thought, his fiery side blazing with devilish adoration.

In one swift move Natsu opened his legs and twisted his body so that he could wrap his legs around his girl's tiny body. With a small jerk he yanked her down to him, catching her as she fell. He delighted in the short, delicious squeal she emitted as she fell.

"Be careful princess," Natsu teased looking at the girl in his arms, "remember, if I want you to fall, you will".

"Is this really the time to be bragging hothead? Have you forgotten? I just owned your ass. And with all the training that's left, you're looking at one princess who won't be falling anymore. You can bet on that!"

"Oh hell no. I'm done with betting. You're a scoundrel! Besides, training or not, I have plans to make you fall over, and over, and over again."

Finally catching his tone, Lucy looked down at him quizzically.

"Hey, did you mean...? Were you trying to make me fall for you all this time?"

Natsu smiled mysteriously.

"I wonder."

Lucy laughed. That non-committal answer was all the answer she needed.

"Silly boy," she teased pressing her hand lightly against his stomach, "I started falling for you the minute I saw these abs under that tree at school."

"Ha, I knew it," Natsu blurted out, rolling her over unto the grass and hovering over her. "You were checking me out! You shallow, shallow girl."

"Well..." Lucy mumbled haltingly, "I mean...I admit that I was doing a little checking out."

Natsu tossed her a skeptical look.

"Really. Only a little bit! But what's not to check out? Besides it wasn't really the abs that drew me in. It was the expression on your face. You just looked so peaceful, so open and at ease, like you didn't have a care in the world. Your expression was so bare; so blunt and genuine." Lucy moved her fingers distractedly over the scales on his scarf. "You were sitting right there but you seemed so far away from me. I didn't know where you were, but I wanted to be a part of your world, even if it was only to touch it for a brief moment."

_... And now, so unexpectedly, I am..._

Lucy felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

She looked up to see Natsu looking at her with a curious, unreadable expression.

"What?"

Instead of answering, Natsu lowered his face to hers. This time, nothing was going to stop him. She was his.

"It seems you caught me off guard long before our little game started, princess," Natsu whispered just before capturing Lucy's lips in a searing, lingering kiss that set the girl's body aflame. Natsu let go entirely and poured everything he felt for the girl into that kiss. Nothing held him back this time. He was going to give her everything. With her, and only with her, he was going to be bare, blunt and genuine. He'd be his whole self, and Natsu trusted that she'd accept him; she'd scold him, she'd tease him, and she'd love him.

You see readers, as much as a man jokes and teases, as much as he says it's childish and stupid, as much as he fights against it, a man wants to feel safe just like a woman. He wants to let go and find peace and freedom in the arms of the right person.

As much as he denies it and laughs at it, each man is searching to find the one place in this world where he can be unguarded.

* * *

The End

* * *

** A/N**

Boom! There we go!

I set out to write a simple, straightforward love story with Unguarded. No complication. No drama. Just warm, genuine love between two people who are willing to open their hearts to it. I hope I achieved that.

Behind the scenes: The ending 2 paragraphs were written and settled just after I wrote the first chapter.

For more behind the scenes (B/S), secrets, and to see answers to questions I've gotten, check out my Twitter ( SpinalCoil).

Now, as promised, Fairy Tail Country Club will get the attention it deserves. I know some of you have been waiting anxiously for the next update. Don't worry, I'd never drop it. More Country Club mysteries are incoming! Wait for it ;)


	7. Extra!

**Extra: After Credits Teaser**

Thanks to everyone who supported _Unguarded_, and recommended it and shared it with their friends (and moms! LOL) and posted it on FB/Twitter, etc. I really appreciate all your support. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed and kept me motivated throughout this 6 weeks or so. You really kept the chapters pouring out of me. My special thanks to Lolibeagle for her wonderful help with this story.

Here is a little gift to all of you.

* * *

**In a top-secret military base hidden deep within a mountain in Switzerland**

"Lieutenant-General Dragneel Sir," the officer greeted, saluting his commanding officer. The domineering commander turned to face his subordinate.

"You have a telephone call sir. We have news from Magnolia."

The lines on the commander's forehead deepened as he took the phone from his junior officer.

"Give me some good news," he said gravely into the device.

"Sir, we've gotten our...liaisons...out of custody. Nothing about the operation has been leaked and all five have now been terminated to prevent any further...problems."

"Good. Protecting the operation is our top priority at the moment."

There was a pause before the man at the other end of the line spoke again.

"What is our next move, Sir? Should we go after the father directly?"

"Negative. Stay with the girl. She's crucial. With her, the father will come to us. And then he'll give us the mother."

"Pardon me Sir, but the alignment is in three days. Even if we got the father in that time, what makes you think we'll get to the keys in time? The researchers say that the waves from the pulsar will drop just minutes after the alignment. After that, the waves won't reach us on earth."

"No." The Lieutenant-General sighed, defeated. "We won't make it. Bora's failure to get the girl cost us too much time. We'll have to wait until the next shift. That's in one year. For now, watch the girl. We'll make our move as soon as the time is right."

The junior officer at the other end of the line cleared his throat and carefully broached the sensitive subject.

"What about the friends, Sir? What if they intervene again to protect the girl?"

The commander clenched his teeth, hot, liquid malice surging though his veins.

"If they obstruct us again, extinguish them."


End file.
